Colorado bill shifts age checks from websites to operating systems
Feb 22nd 2026
Senate Bill 26-051 would require operating system providers to collect age data and supply an age bracket signal to apps, moving enforcement into mobile ecosystems instead of regulating individual websites.
- SB 26-051 would require operating system providers to collect users' date of birth or age and generate an age bracket signal for apps.
- App developers would be required to request and use that age bracket signal when an app is downloaded or accessed through a covered store.
- The proposal focuses on centralized mobile ecosystems where OS vendors and app stores create compliance choke points, not the open web or desktop environments.
- Earlier 2025 measures, SB 25-201 and SB 25-086, either failed or were vetoed after raising enforcement, privacy, and constitutional concerns.
- Critics note the approach can be bypassed via web browsers, school and public devices, and other non-app pathways, limiting its comprehensiveness.
- The bill is assigned to the Senate Committee on Business, Labor, and Technology and is scheduled for a committee hearing on February 24.