Overview
- California’s AB 1043 requires operating systems to record a user’s age or birth date and expose a standardized age-band signal that apps and app stores must check by 2027.
- Colorado’s SB 26-051 adopts a similar model with civil penalties of up to $2,500 per affected child for negligent violations and $7,500 for intentional ones.
- Free and open‑source projects are testing workarounds, with MidnightBSD adding a license clause and the DB48X app planning to block California users in 2027 and Colorado users in 2028.
- Canonical says its legal team is reviewing obligations, and community discussions are underway across Fedora, Linux Mint and even FreeDOS about practical compliance paths.
- Critics, including System76’s CEO and California Governor Gavin Newsom, question effectiveness and clarity, citing easy workarounds, shared accounts and new privacy risks from storing age data.