Companies that make operating systems for phones, computers, and tablets — like Apple and Google — would be required to collect and verify the age of every user, and to get a parent or guardian to confirm the age of any user under 18. Once age is verified, the system must give parents control over what their minor children can access on any device running that operating system. App developers would be able to tap into that age data to apply their own age restrictions without collecting it separately. The Federal Trade Commission would write the rules for how age verification must work and how the data must be protected; companies would have one year after enactment before the law takes effect.
Congressional Summary
Parents Decide ActThis bill establishes age-verification requirements for providers of operating systems, which includes software that supports the basic functions of a computer, mobile device, or other general purpose computing device.First, operating system providers must require users to provide their date of birth to set up an account on, and use, the operating system. If the user is under 18 years old, the operating system must require a parent or legal guardian to verify the user's date of birth.Additionally, operating system providers must develop a system to allow app developers to access information necessary to verify the date of birth of a user of the developer's app.The bill provides for enforcement of these requirements by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).The FTC also must issue regulations on how operating system providers can (1) verify the date of birth of a parent or legal guardian and carry out requirements for verifying the ages of users, (2) secure data collected through the verification process, and (3) ensure parents or legal guardians have control over what users who are under 18 years old are able to access on a device.The FTC must brief Congress on the rulemaking process and report on how operating system providers carry out the requirements of the bill.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2026-04-13
- Date Added
- 2026-04-24
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