Oh No! Now A Federal Bill Wants OS-Level Age Verification for Everyone in the USA

A new U.S. federal bill, H.R.8250 (the 'Parents Decide Act'), introduced on April 13, 2026, would require all operating system providers to verify user age at device setup and allow parental content controls to flow through to apps. While the press release targets Apple and Google's mobile platforms, the bill's official title is broad enough to potentially encompass Linux distributions and other open source operating systems. The bill is currently at the introduction stage with no published text, but follows similar state-level laws already passed in California and Colorado.