Age verification signals: software applications and online services.

Assembly Member Wicks' Digital Age Assurance Act establishes new requirements for device manufacturers and application developers to implement standardized age verification systems and parental controls. The legislation creates a framework for transmitting age-related data between platforms and applications while maintaining user privacy.

Under the new requirements, manufacturers must provide interfaces for parents and guardians to input their child's age, which generates non-personally identifiable signals indicating specific age brackets ranging from under 5 to 18 years old. Application stores must obtain parental consent before allowing users under 16 to download apps and must relay this consent status to developers. The system allows developers to receive real-time age verification through standardized APIs without collecting additional personal information.

Developers receiving age signals must implement features allowing parents to manage linked accounts, control age-appropriate content delivery, and set daily usage time limits. The law treats these signals as authoritative indicators of user age for compliance purposes. Violations can result in civil penalties of up to $2,500 per affected child for negligent violations and $7,500 for intentional violations, enforced by the California Attorney General. The provisions operate alongside existing protections in the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act while maintaining antitrust law compatibility.