As we enter 2026, global regulations regarding the protection of minors in digital environments have evolved significantly. New frameworks in the United States and international jurisdictions like Brazil aim to protect younger users from inappropriate content and unauthorized data collection - particularly within social media and messaging platforms.
Key examples of this evolving legislative landscape include:
- Brazil – Digital Child & Adolescent Statute (ECA Digital), which introduces obligations for digital services that are directed at, or likely to be accessed by, children and adolescents.
- United States – State-level legislation, such as:
- Texas SB 2420 (App Store Accountability Act),
- Utah Social Media Regulation Act,
- Arkansas Social Media Safety Act,
- and similar initiatives in other states.
While these laws vary, their core intent is to ensure that digital services are either designed with age-appropriate safeguards or restricted to adult audiences.
Applicability to our platform – Brazil
Our mobile application is a professional, enterprise-grade tool designed for restricted, corporate environments. Access to the app is managed through authenticated accounts provisioned through and by our enterprise customers.
Because our app is not marketed to, designed for, or realistically accessible by minors, it does not fall under the category of services "directed to" or "likely to be accessed by" children under the Brazilian ECA Digital.
Consequently, our current operational model remains compliant with Brazilian standards without requiring additional in-app parental consent mechanisms.
Compliance strategy for the United States
Starting February 3, 2026, to ensure a consistent, clear and future-proof approach across all U.S. states with emerging regulations, we will implement the following measures at the application level:
- Add an age verification step that will take place before logging into the iOS and Android apps.
- If the user’s age is below 16, access to the app will be blocked entirely.
- If the user’s age is 16 or above, access to the app will be granted, provided that:
- the app store age range is set accordingly, and
- the app content is explicitly intended for users aged 16+.
Find out how this is implemented by reading the How does age verification work on Android and iOS? section below.
Simplified compliance: We have elected to implement a strict block for users under 16 rather than a parental consent flow. Given the professional, event-based nature of our platform, parental intervention is not an appropriate or intended workflow for our enterprise users.
Commitment to safety: This approach ensures that our platform remains a secure, professional environment for adult users while maintaining full compliance with the latest digital safety standards. We remain committed to protecting user data and adhering to the applicable regulatory requirements in every market we serve.
How does age verification work on Android and iOS?
When the user accesses the app, four scenarios are possible for age verification, with different outcomes:
When the user accesses the app, four scenarios are possible for age verification, with different outcomes:
Scenario 1: Device operating system version does not support age verification.
→ The user can proceed and access the app. See the FAQ section to see what operating systems will support age verification.
Scenario 2: Device operating system version supports age verification, however the user declines to share their age range.
→ The user is denied access to the app. The user will see an explanation on how to share their age range in order to access the app.
Scenario 3: Device operating system version supports age verification, and the user is under the required age of 16 years old:
→ The user is denied access to the app. The user will see an explanation saying that they do not meet the necessary age requirements.
Scenario 4: Device operating system version supports age verification, and the user is aged 16 years old or over:
→ The user can proceed and access the app.
Variations between how this is applied on Android versus iOS
On iOS
All users will be required to pass the age verification if it is supported by the operating system version, regardless of their geographical region, and they will be prompted to share their age range.
Users can accept to share their age range or they can refuse:
In the above example, the user’s device has detected that the user is 16 years old or over, which is why they are seeing this particular prompt.
On Android
Age verification will be applied automatically only for users located in the geographical regions where the age verification legislation is relevant. The system will know the geographical region of the user based on the information in their user account.
When relevant, there is no prompt asking the user to share their age range, as it is detected automatically on the device.
If the user is aged 16 or over, they will not see anything displayed on the screen and will simply access the app directly.
If the user is aged less than 16, they will see the following message and will not be able to access the app:
How to enable age verification?
Enabling age verification can only be done by the SpotMe Support team, via the below described options.
Age verification is enabled in Backstage, in the App details page, via the Build > Age verification sub category:
The Enable age verification capability for iOS checkbox indicates whether the iOS app certificate can be built with the age verification functionality included.
This is for iOS only, and needs to be set prior to preparing the app build in the Apple App Store.
The Enable age verification (can be changed at runtime) check box is to enable or disable the feature on iOS and on Android.
To enable age verification on iOS and Android, both checkboxes need to be enabled.
Note: Once the app is built and has been published on the store, the manager of the app can enable and disable the capability based on their needs, using the Enable age verification (can be changed at runtime) checkbox, without the need to re-build the app.
FAQ
What are the minimum operating systems that support age verification?
Minimum iOS 26.0 / Android 6.0 (API level 23).
When will age verification be released on the apps?
Age verification will become available starting February 3, 2026, after the app has been updated in the app stores. Please note however that timelines may be impacted by app certificate generation, therefore coordination with the app publishing team is required.
I have an ongoing event and will enable age verification. What happens to the already logged in users ?
The already logged in users will not go through the age verification step. Age verification is only performed when the user first activates the app.
Where is the age range set on the device?
On iOS, the age range is set in the Settings app → Apple ID → Personal information → Date of birth.
on Android, the age range is not set explicitly. The system returns an age range based on the birthday date that is set up in the Google account's Personal Info tab.
When I open the app, I automatically see a message that blocks me from using the app because I have not shared my age range. How can I share my age range? On iOS the user can go to Settings app > Apple ID > Personal information > Age range for apps > Share with other apps option.
On Android, you can't share the age range. The information is detected automatically based on the birthday date that is set up in the Google account's Personal Information tab, for users in the regions where age verification is relevant.
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