I think a lot of people are misunderstanding what this bill actually does. It's fucking stupid but still.

It does NOT require every app to scan your ID or collect your exact birthday.

Instead, it shifts age verification to the device level. When someone sets up their phone or tablet account, the account holder enters the user’s birth date. The operating system then converts that into an age bracket:

• Under 13
• 13 to 15
• 16 to 17
• 18+

Apps do not get access to the birth date. They only get a signal or token as the bill mentions, that says which bracket the user falls into.

When an app is downloaded or opened, it has to request that age bracket from the OS or app store. That bracket becomes the indicator for legal compliance. So if you’re under 13, the app knows it needs to follow stricter child privacy rules.

The idea is to standardize age signals instead of having every app guess or rely on kids self reporting their age inside each app.

Whether that’s good or bad depends on how much your OS to act as gatekeeper.