California's Device-Based Age-Verification Bill Does Not Apply to Adult Sites

California’s recently passed age-verification bill, AB 1043, does not apply to adult websites. The bill requires device manufacturers and app stores to collect a user’s birthdate or age and provide an API for apps (but not websites) to determine whether a user is under 18 years old. Apps must use the age information to “manage the delivery of age-appropriate content.”

While the bill had originally included language that would require the age signal API be made available to adult websites, a last-minute amendment removed that provision. The Free Speech Coalition has long advocated for a device-based solution that would allow adult websites to block minors using similar technology.

The new law will take effect January 1, 2027.