Colorado SB26-051 (Device Age Signal)
Colorado, United StatesHigh threat- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- Became Law
Stage 4 of 4: Became Law
Colorado makes operating systems ask for a user's age or birth date at device setup and pass that self-declared age to apps as a signal, which apps must request at first launch.
Latest update
Signed by Gov. Jared Polis
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Learn about the issue and how to make your position known.
Take action on this issueWhat it does
From July 1, 2028, an operating system provider that runs or preinstalls an app store must show an interface at account setup where the account holder enters the user's birth date, age or age bracket. The operating system or app store then sends apps an age-bracket signal (under 13, 13 to 15, 16 to 17, or 18 and over) through an API, and covered apps must request it at first launch or account creation and treat it as the primary indicator of the user's age. The age is self-declared, and the law states that it does not require developers to acquire age data beyond the signal. Devices set up before July 1, 2028 must get the interface by January 1, 2029, and the attorney general can seek up to $2,500 per minor harmed for a negligent violation and $7,500 for an intentional one.
What’s at stake
Colorado attaches an age field to every device account and requires apps to ask for it, and an app that receives the signal is legally deemed to know the user's age range. That builds a statewide channel from the operating system to every covered app. A later law only has to require that the entered age be checked against an ID or a face scan, and the pipe is already in place.
Our take
Colorado followed California's AB 1043 and gave itself until 2028. Today the signal is a birth date anyone can type, and the law says so. We oppose it because it makes age a property of the device account that apps are required to read, and New York's S8102 shows where that goes next: the same signal, backed by ID or biometrics.
Timeline
Deadline for existing devices to get the age interface and for older apps to request the signalUpcoming
Law takes effect; new device setups must collect age and apps must request the signalUpcoming
Signed by Gov. Jared PolisLatest
Senate concurred in House amendments 33-0
House passed it 40-23
Senate passed it 28-7
Introduced in the Senate
Sponsors
Sen. Matt Ball, Sen. Larry Liston, Rep. Amy Paschal, Rep. Naquetta Ricks
Votes
- Senate — Third reading (28 to 7) · March 3, 2026
- House — Third reading (40 to 23) · April 30, 2026
- Senate — Concurred (33 to 0) · May 1, 2026
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