California Age Verification Law

The law covers two groups:

1. App developers
2. Operating system providers

The app developer category also includes app stores that are home to all sorts of different types of software, including desktop apps. For developers, the age verification requirements are ess strict and still act as a recommendation, but some states already require this under new app store rules.

Meanwhile, operating system providers are obliged to stricter requirements. For example, when someone downloads an app, the developer asks the operating system or app store for the age signal during setup and collects the device user’s age or birth date. 

Platforms often use age signals and send them through special API solutions when developers request it. In a sense, this helps build a simpler verification flow without asking for extra documents like a government-issued ID photo. These signals show the user’s age range: under 13, 13–15, 16–17, or 18+. 

However, it’s considered as a bst practice if you use an age verification method that extracts the user’s DOB from a capture of a legitimate ID document. Preferably, followed by an extra selfie check to see if the person is present and alive (not a deepfake, for example) and isn’t using another person’s ID, which is common among minors. 

Yes, because the age verification process is used during the user onboarding stage for all users. In practice, it doesn’t exclude adults, who are also required to prove they are of age during account or device setup. 

To comply with the Law and age verification requirements, you should:

• Implement privacy-first age verification tools, such as iDenfy’s Age Verification software 
• Update privacy policies to explain age collection and use
• Review and update existing user onboarding processes to collect age signals
• Conduct staff training and ensure that your company is audit-ready with a clear, transparent audit log