Apple now checks your age before letting you use apps
Apple just announced new age-verification tools in select countries and US states (Feb 24, 2026) to meet stricter child safety laws in places like Brazil, Australia, Singapore, Utah, and Louisiana.
Now, app developers can check your age group using Apple's API—no need to share your full birth date.
The goal: keep younger users safer and make sure parents are in the loop for any updates involving kids.
Age checks are mandatory for 18+ rated apps
With these changes, you won't be able to download 18+ rated apps in Australia, Brazil, or Singapore unless you're auto-verified as an adult.
In Brazil specifically, games with loot boxes are now bumped up to the 18+ category.
Utah and Louisiana will require these protections for new Apple Accounts starting soon, with some age confirmations handled through Apple's system, although developers may still have independent compliance obligations and Apple's API returns an age category only when a user or their parent/guardian chooses to share it.
Parents can choose when to share their child's age info
On iOS, parents can pick when (or if) their child's age info is shared—always, only when needed by an app, or never at all.
It's another step from Apple to help families manage online safety while staying within local rules.
Apple's new age ratings include categories like 13+, 16+, and 18+
Apple's new tools help them avoid major fines in countries where breaking child protection laws is expensive business.
They've also updated their app ratings—now including options like 13+, 16+, and 18+.
In Texas though? The rollout is paused due to a legal fight over these requirements.