Digital Age Assurance Act of 2026

Key Points

• Operating system makers like Apple and Google would have to ask every user for their date of birth and turn that into a broad age bracket, like under 13 or 16 to 17, without sharing the exact birthday with apps or sites.
• Anyone under 17 has to link their device account to a parent or guardian's account, and parents get a way to view their child's age bracket data.
• Companies are banned from showing targeted ads to kids or selling their personal data to data brokers, and age data generally can't be used for profiling or ad targeting.
• The bill explicitly rules out facial scanning, government ID checks, or biometric collection as required verification methods, aiming to keep the system privacy-preserving through cryptographic proofs instead.
• The FTC and state attorneys general can fine violators up to $7,500 per knowing violation, multiplied by the number of children harmed, and must finish detailed rules within a year of the law passing.
• None of this takes effect right away. The rules kick in 18 months after the bill becomes law, giving companies time to build the required systems.