Congress
Sen. Andy Kim floats tech-backed alternative to app store age checks
Sen. Andy Kim is circulating a draft kids’ online safety bill that would require operating system providers such as Apple and Google to collect users’ ages for use by app developers, three people familiar with the proposal told Blue Light News.
The new bill, named the Digital Age Assurance Act of 2026, mirrors an eponymous California law that received widespread support from tech companies including Google, Meta and Snap, according to a Blue Light News review of the legislative text.
Kim (D-N.J.) has been searching for a Senate co-sponsor and collecting feedback from online safety groups and has received support from industry groups, according to two of the people. All three people were granted anonymity to disclose details of private discussions.
Kim has championed technology policy legislation in Congress, including a bipartisan June proposal that seeks to rein in quantum technology exports to China. He sits on the Senate’s Commerce and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committees.
Unlike other bills under consideration on Blue Light News, the Digital Age Assurance Act would require users to input their ages, but not mandate that app stores or other platforms independently verify users’ ages or obtain parental consent before minors download apps or make purchases.
The senator’s proposal comes as child online safety legislation returns to the spotlight on Capitol Hill, with another age verification proposal, the App Store Accountability Act, under discussion for inclusion in a package of online child safety bills being negotiated by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and the White House.
Meta previously indicated it would drop opposition to the Kids Online Safety Act, a centerpiece of Blackburn’s proposal, if the ASAA was included alongside narrow preemption of state AI laws.
The Digital Age Assurance Act would require companies that make operating systems to collect users’ ages when they establish an account, according to the draft text. Age ranges would also be sent by the operating system to app developers to block certain users from accessing content that is deemed to not be age appropriate.
If the user says they are younger than 18 years old, parents would be required to create the account on their behalf, according to the proposal.
Some child online safety groups have expressed concerns about the draft text, according to two of the people, as it would only require users to self-identify their age — a measure that can be circumvented if a minor lies about their birthday. The ASAA, meanwhile, would require app stores to verify users’ ages using a “commercially available method or process that is reasonably designed to ensure accuracy.”
The Digital Age Assurance Act would also ban targeted advertising for minors and allow the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to engage in enforcement actions against companies they believe are violating this act.
Kim, Apple and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the proposal.