This appears to be part of the “Parents Decide Act” announced earlier in April by Gottheimer, as just one step in the process. So expect a lot more to come. Some bullet point plans from it:
- Require operating system developers like Apple and Google to verify users’ ages when setting up a new device, rather than relying on self-reported ages.
- Allow parents to set age-appropriate content controls from the start, including limiting access to social media, apps, and AI platforms.
- Ensure that age and parental settings securely flow to apps and AI platforms, so content is tailored appropriately for children.
- Prevent children from accessing harmful or explicit content - including inappropriate AI chatbot interactions - by creating a consistent, trusted standard across platforms.
Currently, the bill is only in the introductory stage so it hasn’t yet passed and become law, so if this is important to you in the US you may want to speak to your representatives.
Source [web-archive]
I am sorry, but isn’t it 99% not about “children protection” but general surveillance for everyone wrapped up in a “pretty” package that plays, again, on fears as the parenting and unforeseen future backed up with the “time-saving” features for those who are in a hurry within the same system?
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There are numerous options to choose from already existing… Yet, some should just consider that the “age verification” was initiated for another purpose than a general age verification process. Have you checked out the recent Persona source code exposed?
Regardless, some civilian approaches to be mentioned is how the verification is handled in Baltic countries, that is Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, for example:
Smart-ID is the easiest, safest and fastest way to authenticate yourself online, register in e-services and sign documents…
Smart-ID can be used to log in to e-services, for online banking and for signing documents.
Source: www.smart-id.com
-–
Smart-ID itself has no age restrictions for its users – but age limits have been set by identity providers and depend on the Smart-ID account type and authentication method chosen…
Creating a Smart-ID account for a minor requires a parent/legal guardian to authenticate their account…
Don’t just click “continue”: read the instructions on the screen carefully and double check that all the information you enter is correct, and the whole process will be easy and stress-free… The child cannot continue with their registration until we’ve got one parent approval…
Source: www.smart-id.com/help/faq
For the API, for instance:
# Where can I find users date of birth?
Birth of date is encoded into personal identity code. Latvian new personal identity code format is exception though. Special birth of date field will be added to Smart-ID certificates in stages and only for Qualified accounts.
For convinience smart-id-java-client and smart-id-php-client have special function getDateOfBirth… for that. For getting that info directly from certificate see getDateOfBirthCertificateAttribute and getDateOfBirthFromCertificateField.
Source: sk-eid.github.io/smart-id-documentation/faq.html
Similar to Latvia, the number of Estonia and Lithuania has the date of infinitely magnificent event as someone’s date of birth, too!
The ways in which such a system is implemented vary among countries, but in most cases citizens are issued an identification number upon reaching legal age, or when they are born…
In Estonia, a Personal Identification Code (Estonian: isikukood, abbreviated as IK) is formed on the basis of the sex and date of birth of a person…
In Lithuania the Personal Code (Lithuanian: asmens kodas) consists of 11 digits, and currently is in the form G YYMMDD NNN C, where G is gender & birth century, YYMMDD is the birthday, NNN is a serial number, C is a checksum digit…
/* … */ C = lt_nin_checksum(“3840915201”);
Source: en.wikipedia.org/…/National_identification_number…
Therefore, there should be an option to verify the age without the personal identification code. And if not, a personal number got within the age verification scope, transferred within secure government session channel, should be enough.
Related:
-techxplore.com/…/2026-02-age-verification-online-…> (Age verification online can be done safely and privately. Here’s how…)
Regardless, some civilian approaches to be mentioned is how the verification is handled in Baltic countries, that is Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, for example:
Smart-ID is the easiest, safest and fastest way to authenticate yourself online, register in e-services and sign documents…
Smart-ID can be used to log in to e-services, for online banking and for signing documents.
Source: www.smart-id.com
-–
Smart-ID itself has no age restrictions for its users – but age limits have been set by identity providers and depend on the Smart-ID account type and authentication method chosen…
Creating a Smart-ID account for a minor requires a parent/legal guardian to authenticate their account…
Don’t just click “continue”: read the instructions on the screen carefully and double check that all the information you enter is correct, and the whole process will be easy and stress-free… The child cannot continue with their registration until we’ve got one parent approval…
Source: www.smart-id.com/help/faq
For the API, for instance:
# Where can I find users date of birth?
Birth of date is encoded into personal identity code. Latvian new personal identity code format is exception though. Special birth of date field will be added to Smart-ID certificates in stages and only for Qualified accounts.
For convinience smart-id-java-client and smart-id-php-client have special function getDateOfBirth… for that. For getting that info directly from certificate see getDateOfBirthCertificateAttribute and getDateOfBirthFromCertificateField.
Source: sk-eid.github.io/smart-id-documentation/faq.html
Similar to Latvia, the number of Estonia and Lithuania has the date of infinitely magnificent event as someone’s date of birth, too!
The ways in which such a system is implemented vary among countries, but in most cases citizens are issued an identification number upon reaching legal age, or when they are born…
In Estonia, a Personal Identification Code (Estonian: isikukood, abbreviated as IK) is formed on the basis of the sex and date of birth of a person…
In Lithuania the Personal Code (Lithuanian: asmens kodas) consists of 11 digits, and currently is in the form G YYMMDD NNN C, where G is gender & birth century, YYMMDD is the birthday, NNN is a serial number, C is a checksum digit…
/* … */ C = lt_nin_checksum(“3840915201”);
Source: en.wikipedia.org/…/National_identification_number…
Therefore, there should be an option to verify the age without the personal identification code. And if not, a personal number got within the age verification scope, transferred within secure government session channel, should be enough.
Related:
-techxplore.com/…/2026-02-age-verification-online-…> (Age verification online can be done safely and privately. Here’s how…)
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