Introduction to Age Verification Laws

As of today, about half of all U.S. states have some form of age verification law in place. Nine of those were passed in 2025 alone, covering everything from adult content sites to social media platforms to app stores.

For example, California’s Digital Age Assurance Act (AB 1043) is a notable law that targets not only websites and apps but also operating systems. Come January 1, 2027, every OS provider must collect a user’s age at account setup and provide that data to app developers via a real-time API.

Global Age Verification Laws

However, it’s not just the U.S. that’s implementing age verification laws. The UK moved first back in 2023 with the Online Safety Act’s child safety duties, which required platforms to deploy age verification measures. Meanwhile, Australia followed in December 2025 with a ban on social media accounts for under-16s, requiring age checks for adults to use the platform.

Additionally, Brazil has gone further with the Digital Statute of the Child and Adolescent, which explicitly names operating systems and app stores by definition. Article 12 requires both to implement auditable age verification, expose an age signal via API to third-party apps, and get parental/legal guardian consent before minors can download anything.

Linux Community Response

Therefore, the Linux community has not taken this quietly. Aaron Rainbolt, an Ubuntu Community Council member, proposed a D-Bus interface called org.freedesktop.AgeVerification1. Rather than storing raw personal data, it would only expose an age bracket to apps that request it.

Finally, it’s essential to consider the implications of these laws. While they may be intended to protect children’s rights, they also raise concerns about surveillance and data privacy. As such, it’s crucial to strike a balance between protecting children and preserving individual freedoms.