Apple expands global age-verification tools to meet rising child safety regulations

Apple is rolling out new features to comply with a growing wave of age-verification and child-safety rules in the U.S. and internationally. As part of the update, Apple will restrict downloads of apps rated 18+ in Brazil, Australia, and Singapore, and will introduce additional capabilities to align with requirements in U.S. states such as Utah and Louisiana.

Apple told developers on Tuesday that it is broadening its suite of “age assurance” tools, including an updated Declared Age Range API, which is now available in beta.

These tools are intended to enable developers to learn a user’s age range without requiring sensitive personal details, such as an exact birthdate. Apple is positioning the solution as a technical response to laws in multiple countries that aim to block or limit access to certain products — including some social media services — to adults aged 18 and over.

In Brazil, Apple said developers can use the Declared Age Range API to request the user’s age category when the user, or a parent or guardian, chooses to share that information.

Apple is also beginning to block people in Australia, Brazil, and Singapore from downloading 18+ rated apps unless they confirm they are adults, starting today. In that flow, Apple said the App Store will handle age confirmation automatically, but noted that developers may still have additional compliance steps to complete separately.

In Brazil specifically, Apple said developers whose games include loot boxes — a gambling-like system that allows players to pay for a randomised chance at in-game rewards and that lawmakers argue should not be accessible to children — will see their app age ratings updated to reflect an 18+ audience.

In the United States, Apple said new users in Utah and Louisiana will soon have their age category shared with developers’ apps through the Declared Age Range API as well. Apple added that it has expanded other tools related to age ratings and permissions to meet its compliance responsibilities.

“New signals are now available through the Declared Age Range API, including whether age-related regulatory requirements apply to the user and if the user is required to share their age range,” Apple wrote in a blog post. “The API will also let you know if you need to get a parent or guardian’s permission for significant app updates for a child.”

Apple has been working through similar requirements in other areas as well. Last October, the company began complying with age-assurance rules in Texas, but in December, it paused some of those efforts because the law is being challenged in court. Apple also revised its age ratings system last year, introducing more detailed age brackets and adding new questions for developers submitting apps for review.