App Store Tightens Age Verification, Apple Submits to Global Regulatory Wave

JAKARTA - Apple is adjusting the App Store system again to follow the wave of increasingly strict age verification regulations in various regions, including Australia, Brazil, Singapore, and two US states: Louisiana and Utah.

This update is being made to ensure compliance with new laws, such as the Utah App Store Accountability Act, which requires digital platforms to more actively verify users' ages before granting access to certain apps.

Starting February 24, users in Australia, Brazil, and Singapore will not be able to download apps with an 18+ rating unless their age has been confirmed as an adult through "reasonable methods." Apple states that the App Store can now automatically verify whether a user is an adult.

However, Apple also emphasized that the responsibility was not entirely on its shoulders. In an update on its official website, the company said that app developers may have separate obligations to independently confirm the age of users. For this, Apple provides the Declared Age Range API, which signals the user's age category to developers.

In Brazil, the API feature can only be used if the user - or parent/guardian - approves the age category sharing. Uniquely, Brazil also implements an automatic 18+ classification for applications that contain loot boxes, a random in-game purchase mechanism that is often criticized for being similar to digital gambling.

Meanwhile, in Utah and Louisiana, the changes are more limited but significant. For new Apple accounts in Utah starting May 1 and in Louisiana starting July 1, the user's age category will be shared with the app if requested through the API.

Apple also introduced the Significant Update Action feature, which is currently still in beta, to notify users of major updates in both states.

This API also tells developers when parental consent or guardian approval is required for certain app updates, in line with child protection regulatory requirements.

This is not the first time Apple has adapted to local rules. Previously, the company had restricted access to age-inappropriate websites for children's accounts in Utah in order to comply with state laws passed in 2021.

Apple is not the only one moving. Other platforms such as Discord also launched a new age verification feature in 2026, although it is not mandatory for all users.

Behind this policy, there is a big dynamic going on. Governments in various countries increasingly view digital platforms not only as intermediaries of technology, but also as actors with social responsibilities. Age verification is now at the forefront of debates on child protection, data privacy, and freedom of access to information.

Technically, systems like the Declared Age Range API try to find a middle ground: providing age category information without having to share birth dates in detail. It's a compromise between privacy protection and regulatory demands.

But the fundamental question remains complex. How far should platforms verify identities without turning into a kind of digital administration office? In an era when one account can open access to millions of applications, the line between protection and surveillance is becoming increasingly thin. The technology industry, like it or not, now has to play above that line.