The "Digital Age Assurance Act of 2026" establishes a comprehensive framework for age verification across digital platforms to protect users, especially children. It requires operating system providers (OSPs) to collect users' dates of birth or ages when creating or using accounts on covered devices. This information is then classified into non-personally identifiable age bracket data , such as whether a user is under 13, 13-15, 16-17, or 17 and older. OSPs must provide this age bracket data as a "signal" through a real-time application programming interface to application developers, browser providers, and covered internet website operators upon request. This signal should ideally utilize privacy-enhancing technologies like verifiable credentials or zero-knowledge proofs . For users identified as children (under 17), their accounts must be linked to a parent or legal guardian's account, with exceptions for emancipated minors. Developers and website operators are mandated to request and use this signal as the primary indicator of a user's age to comply with age restrictions and internal policies. They are prohibited from allowing access to content or features deemed inappropriate for a user's indicated age bracket. The Act includes provisions for handling conflicting age information, allowing OSPs to verify and update signals if clear evidence suggests an age discrepancy. Crucially, the bill imposes strict data minimization requirements , prohibiting the collection of more data than necessary for age verification or basic platform functions. It explicitly forbids the sale of age bracket data, its use for profiling, engagement optimization, or targeted advertising, and combining it with other personal information. Furthermore, it makes it unlawful to engage in targeted advertising to children or to sell, license, or otherwise make available the personal data of children to data brokers. To prevent anticompetitive practices, operating system and application store providers cannot impose stricter age-related requirements on third-party applications than on their own. They are also barred from using collected age bracket data from third parties to gain an unfair competitive advantage. Enforcement of these provisions falls under the Federal Trade Commission, which can levy significant civil penalties, and State Attorneys General.