CAADCA Section 1798.99.31(b) - Age Estimation
Estimate the age of child users with reasonable certainty proportionate to risk, or apply children's protections to all users
Where this comes from
Provision: Section 1798.99.31(b) - Age Estimation
Instrument: California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act (AB 2273)
Citation: Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.99.31(b), California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act (AB 2273)
Text version: California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act, AB-2273 (2022); Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1798.99.28–1798.99.40
Who it applies to
It applies when all of these are true:
- Service is likely to be accessed by children under 18
- Youngest user age is Under 13, 13-15 or 16-17
- Service requires/offers account registration
…unless:
- Lower-risk services may use less intrusive age estimation methods. (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.99.31(h)(2))
Scope in the source's own terms
- Service likely accessed by children
- Service available to California residents
What engineering work it implies
Sample acceptance criteria Landfall generates for this obligation:
- Age gate appears before accessing age-restricted content/features
- DOB input uses dropdowns (not free text) to reduce typos
- System calculates age from DOB, not from user-entered age
- Age is stored and doesn't need to be re-entered on each visit
- Age verification cannot be bypassed by direct URL access
Evidence an auditor expects
- Technical controlTechnical audit
Age estimation mechanism
Technical documentation of age estimation/verification method proportionate to risk
- Test resultsTechnical auditRecommended
Age estimation accuracy testing
Test results showing age estimation effectiveness and error rates
Questions people ask
- Does CAADCA Section 1798.99.31(b) - Age Estimation apply to my service?
- It applies when Service is likely to be accessed by children under 18; Youngest user age is Under 13, 13-15 or 16-17; Service requires/offers account registration. It does not apply where Lower-risk services may use less intrusive age estimation methods. (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.99.31(h)(2)).
- From when does this apply?
- CAADCA Section 1798.99.31(b) - Age Estimation applies from 1 July 2024. Its current status is: in force.
- What evidence does an auditor expect?
- Age estimation mechanism; Age estimation accuracy testing.
Find out whether this one lands on you
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Not legal advice. Landfall maps regulatory obligations to engineering work for planning purposes. Its verdicts are not legal advice and create no attorney-client relationship — verify with qualified counsel before relying on them.