The state of California's Digital Age Assurance Act, passed last year, will soon require each PC and mobile operating system vendor to ask users for their age during account setup and then send the data to app developers. Although California's law doesn't go into effect until 2027, this would affect both Windows, Mac and Linux PC users throughout the Golden State.
California's Digital Age Assurance Act (AB 1043) was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in October 2025 after it unanimously passed both houses of the California State Legislature. AB 1043 would require operating system vendors to include a real-time application programming interface (API) that categorizes users into one of four age groups. These brackets are for users under 13, ages 13 to 16, ages 16 to under 18, and anyone 18 or older. The data would then be sent to any developer that requests that information from a user based in California when an app is downloaded or launched, which would then be used for content distribution. AB 1043 enters into force across the country as of January 1, 2027.
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New California law will affect everything with an operating system
Although age verification measures in games like Roblox has forced users to upload a face scan to prove their age, California's upcoming Digital Age Assurance Act will not require such controversial measures. AB 1043 will only require California users to enter their date of birth when creating an account with companies like Microsoft, Apple or Google, depending on which operating system they plan to access. The law covers everything that uses an operating system, from computers to mobile devices and game consoles. However, it does not apply to broadband providers or telecommunications services and does not allow developers to share a user's age information with a third party for any purpose other than verification.
As it stands, AB 1043 would likely require operating systems to add an age verification API via a firmware update. However, Governor Newsom stated that, even though AB 1043 was passed, an amendment for multi-user accounts and streaming services would likely be necessary. Newsom cited concerns from game developers and streaming services about user profiles and accounts being used across multiple devices. As of this writing, no changes have been proposed to AB 1043, so the law will go into effect in its current state.
Along with the problems that multi-user accounts could pose for AB 1043, the emergence of Linux as an alternative to Windows presents another problem. Developers who receive this information and do not comply with AB 1043 will face penalties of between $2,500 and up to $7,500. Additionally, several Linux operating system distributions, such as Ubuntu, do not have a centralized account infrastructure in place, compared to Windows and macOS. Ergo, Linux OS distros are likely to be found non-compliant by default in California. While a disclaimer stating that the operating system is not intended for use in California under AB 1043 could be used, it remains to be seen what the developers of various Linux distros will do in response to the law.
Age verification is not going away
Although AB 1043 will not require California users to provide anything more than their date of birth, age verification measures from other services will likely continue to be used. Although Discord was supposed to launch its global age verification on March 1st, Discord delayed its controversial launch following user backlash. Although Discord is still set to activate its age verification systems in the second half of 2026, the popular voice and text app stated that it was looking into additional ways to verify a user's age, including credit card information, that would not require a Face ID scan.
Given the broad reach of AB 1043, the law would also affect SteamOS, which is used by the Steam Deck and the upcoming Steam Machine. Although Governor Newsom has proposed some changes, time will tell what changes will be made to AB 1043 before it takes effect.
Source: Tom's Hardware
