United States
Age-Verification and Age-Gating Law at the national level and in subnational jurisdictions.
National law
Summary
Federal law addresses children's online privacy mainly through the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and its 2025 FTC rule amendments, which require verifiable parental consent before a covered operator collects personal information from a child under 13. Congress has not enacted a comprehensive age verification, social media minor access, or app store age verification statute. The House passed the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act in June 2026, consolidating the Kids Online Safety Act and COPPA 2.0 among other bills, while the Senate's standalone Kids Online Safety Act (which passed the Senate 91-3 in the 118th Congress) remains in committee, and a bipartisan federal App Store Accountability Act has been introduced in both chambers. None of the pending bills had become law as of July 2026.
Amended COPPA Rule (2025)
Requires separate verifiable parental consent for disclosing a child's personal information to third parties for targeted advertising, adds a text plus consent method, and expands recordkeeping and data retention limits. Operators had until April 22, 2026 to come into full compliance.
- Citation
- 16 C.F.R. Part 312, as amended, 90 Fed. Reg. 16918 (Apr. 22, 2025)
- Status
- In force
- Effective date
- 2025-06-23
- Applies to
- Private sector
- Age threshold
- 13
- Verification methods
- parental consent
- Covered services
- Operators covered by the original COPPA Rule.
- Enforcement body
- Federal Trade Commission
- Source
- 16 C.F.R. Part 312, as amended, 90 Fed. Reg. 16918 (Apr. 22, 2025)
Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
Requires operators of websites and online services directed to children under 13, or that have actual knowledge they collect data from a child under 13, to provide notice and obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information.
- Citation
- 15 U.S.C. §§ 6501-6506; 16 C.F.R. Part 312
- Status
- In force
- Effective date
- 2000-04-21
- Applies to
- Private sector
- Age threshold
- 13
- Verification methods
- parental consent
- Covered services
- Websites and online services directed to children under 13, and general audience services with actual knowledge of child users.
- Penalties
- Civil penalties per violation, adjusted periodically for inflation, enforced by the FTC and state attorneys general.
- Enforcement body
- Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general
- Private right of action
- no
- Source
- 15 U.S.C. §§ 6501-6506; 16 C.F.R. Part 312
App Store Accountability Act (federal), H.R. 3149 / S. 1586
Would require app store operators to verify a user's age at account creation, sort users into age categories without disclosing exact birthdates, and require parental consent for minors to download apps or make in-app purchases. Would preempt state app store age verification laws and designate the FTC as primary enforcer. Introduced May 2025; has not passed either chamber as of July 2026.
- Citation
- H.R. 3149 / S. 1586, 119th Congress
- Status
- Proposed
- Effective date
- Not yet effective
- Applies to
- Private sector
- Age threshold
- 18
- Verification methods
- digital id, device signal, self declaration
- Covered services
- App store operators such as the Apple App Store and Google Play.
- Enforcement body
- Federal Trade Commission (proposed)
- Private right of action
- no
- Source
- H.R. 3149 / S. 1586, 119th Congress
S. 1748, Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA)
Would impose a duty of care on covered online platforms to prevent and mitigate specified harms to minors, require default safeguards and parental tools for known minors, and mandate transparency reporting. An earlier version passed the Senate 91-3 in July 2024 (118th Congress) but died in the House. Reintroduced May 14, 2025 by Senators Blackburn and Blumenthal with Senate leadership support; pending in the Senate Commerce Committee as of July 2026, and partially consolidated into the House-passed KIDS Act without its duty of care provision.
- Citation
- S. 1748, 119th Congress
- Status
- Proposed
- Effective date
- Not yet effective
- Applies to
- Private sector
- Age threshold
- 17
- Verification methods
- self declaration, device signal
- Covered services
- Online platforms, video games, messaging and streaming services likely to be used by minors.
- Enforcement body
- Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general (proposed)
- Source
- S. 1748, 119th Congress
H.R. 7757, Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act
Consolidates the Kids Online Safety Act, the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0), a data broker registry, and other child safety bills. Would require default privacy and safety settings for minors, age verification for access to mature content, and AI chatbot disclosure. Passed the House 267-117 on June 29, 2026, without KOSA's original duty of care provision; pending in the Senate.
- Citation
- H.R. 7757, 119th Congress
- Status
- Proposed
- Effective date
- Not yet effective
- Applies to
- Private sector
- Verification methods
- self declaration, parental consent, third party service
- Covered services
- Large social media and online platforms, and AI chatbot services.
- Enforcement body
- Federal Trade Commission (proposed)
- Source
- H.R. 7757, 119th Congress
Reviewed 2026-07-15. Confidence: high. Fast-moving area, verify before relying. Not legal advice.
Subnational jurisdictions
| Jurisdiction | Instruments | Adult content | Social media | App stores and devices | Design codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2 | In force | None | Hold | None |
| Alaska | 0 | None | None | None | None |
| Arizona | 2 | In force | None | None | None |
| Arkansas | 4 | In force | Hold | None | None |
| California | 6 | None | In force | Hold | Hold |
| Colorado | 3 | None | Hold | Hold | In force |
| Connecticut | 2 | None | In force | None | None |
| Delaware | 2 | None | In force | None | None |
| District of Columbia | 0 | None | None | None | None |
| Florida | 2 | In force | In force | None | None |
| Georgia | 2 | In force | Hold | None | None |
| Hawaii | 0 | None | None | None | None |
| Idaho | 2 | In force | In force | None | None |
| Illinois | 1 | None | None | None | None |
| Indiana | 2 | In force | Hold | None | None |
| Iowa | 1 | In force | None | None | None |
| Kansas | 2 | In force | None | None | None |
| Kentucky | 2 | In force | None | None | None |
| Louisiana | 3 | In force | Hold | Hold | None |
| Maine | 0 | None | None | None | None |
| Maryland | 1 | None | None | None | In force |
| Massachusetts | 2 | None | None | None | None |
| Michigan | 1 | None | None | None | None |
| Minnesota | 1 | None | Hold | None | None |
| Mississippi | 3 | In force | In force | None | In force |
| Missouri | 2 | In force | None | None | None |
| Montana | 2 | In force | None | None | In force |
| Nebraska | 4 | In force | Hold | None | In force |
| Nevada | 0 | None | None | None | None |
| New Hampshire | 2 | None | None | None | In force |
| New Jersey | 1 | None | None | None | In force |
| New Mexico | 0 | None | None | None | None |
| New York | 3 | None | Hold | None | In force |
| North Carolina | 3 | In force | None | None | None |
| North Dakota | 2 | In force | None | None | None |
| Ohio | 2 | In force | Hold | None | None |
| Oklahoma | 2 | In force | None | None | Hold |
| Oregon | 1 | None | None | None | In force |
| Pennsylvania | 1 | None | None | None | None |
| Rhode Island | 0 | None | None | None | None |
| South Carolina | 2 | In force | None | None | In force |
| South Dakota | 1 | In force | None | None | None |
| Tennessee | 2 | In force | In force | None | None |
| Texas | 3 | In force | Hold | In force | None |
| Utah | 4 | In force | Hold | Hold | None |
| Vermont | 1 | None | None | None | Hold |
| Virginia | 2 | In force | Hold | None | None |
| Washington | 0 | None | None | None | None |
| West Virginia | 1 | In force | None | None | None |
| Wisconsin | 0 | None | None | None | None |
| Wyoming | 1 | In force | None | None | None |
Coverage is growing. Not legal advice; verify citations before relying on any entry.