🔒Illinois Enacts Age Verification Law for Devices
Apps and devices now must verify user age by January 2028
TL;DR
Illinois has passed a law requiring device manufacturers to implement an age verification system. By Jan 1, 2028, all devices sold or used in Illinois must ask users for their birth date and enforce safety settings based on age brackets.
Illinois lawmakers have just passed a new law mandating that device manufacturers build an interface asking for a user's birth date at account setup. By January 1, 2028, all devices sold or used in Illinois must convert the birth date into one of four age categories: under 13, 13-15, 16-17, and 18+. Apps will then pull this data through an API to enforce safety settings for minors. This impacts developers who need to update their apps to comply with new regulations by July 2028 or risk hefty fines.
Key Points
By January 1, 2028, covered manufacturers must convert birth dates into four age brackets: under 13, 13-15, 16-17, and 18+
Apps must enforce safety settings for minors, including feed restrictions, profile hiding, message blocking, location masking, and notification darkness between 10 PM and 7 AM
Violations can cost up to $50,000 each, enforced by the state Attorney General starting July 1, 2028
The law passed with a vote of 82-27 in the House and 57-0 in the Senate before clearing final concurrence unanimously
Illinois joins Colorado and California in implementing similar age verification frameworks for devices
Why It Matters
If you're developing apps or devices targeting minors, this law means mandatory safety settings by July 2028. Fines up to $50k per violation make compliance critical. Parents can override defaults, but the default settings must be enforced.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this matter?
If you're developing apps or devices targeting minors, this law means mandatory safety settings by July 2028. Fines up to $50k per violation make compliance critical. Parents can override defaults, but the default settings must be enforced.
What happened?
Illinois has passed a law requiring device manufacturers to implement an age verification system. By Jan 1, 2028, all devices sold or used in Illinois must ask users for their birth date and enforce safety settings based on age brackets.
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