"Parents Decide Act": New US Congress bill proposal requires all operating system providers to verify ages.
2026-04-15 13:12 UTC
Replies (40)
-
@Luminous5481@anarchist.nexus 2026-04-15 13:29
-
@samus12345@sh.itjust.works 2026-04-15 16:58
-
@lemmyng@lemmy.world 2026-04-15 13:24
GrapheneOS is about to see a huge uptick in users. Praying that Linux phones become more daily driver options.
-
@eli@lemmy.world 2026-04-15 16:18
As a parent, I have zero faith in any system like this. I'm all for more parental controls(like what Gnome 50 just implemented), but I don't want anything(program, web browser, video game, etc) to be able to query any kind of "age" field on an account on my system. I don't want ANYONE to know if my child is using a device. And if that means I have to create an adult account for them, then so be it. I don't want my child's information being scraped and imported into some random database that gets leaked or sold to nefarious actors.
-
@Wispy2891@lemmy.world 2026-04-16 06:15
If it's called "parents decide" why they implement it as "government and corps decide"? 🤔
-
@Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 2026-04-15 17:29
The Epstein class wants to know who the minors on the internet are.
-
@collapse_already@lemmy.ml 2026-04-16 22:36
I can't wait to verify my age to all 14 operating systems in my car. My Traeger grill has an OS. So does my router. Does a bare metal super loop count as an OS? It did in my undergrad operating systems class. Do I need to verify the pilot's age for all of the operating systems in an F35? Who supplies the ID for the OS in an ATM?
-
@BigMacHole@thelemmy.club 2026-04-16 00:12
Thank GOD! FINALLY I'll get a Chance to give the Epstein Class my CHILDS personal Information!
-
@DarthPub@retrofed.com 2026-04-15 16:08
If it’s required then parents don’t decide shit
-
@chunes@lemmy.world 2026-04-15 16:47
Friendly reminder that anyone who writes DRM is a traitor to the human race. Find a job that won't haunt your conscience.
-
@webkitten@piefed.social 2026-04-15 15:50
It doesn't sound like the parents are the ones deciding, though.
-
@Doomsider@lemmy.world 2026-04-16 00:59
Another lie at the altar of protecting children. They could give a fucking rip about kids, dimmest timeline ever.
-
@hraegsvelmir@ani.social 2026-04-15 23:22
>- Allow parents to set age-appropriate content controls from the start, including limiting access to social media, apps, and AI platforms. Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't most, if not all, OSes have these capabilities already? Parents already don't use them, what is supposed to make me think they'll suddenly start using them if only there was another law mandating them?
-
@Triumph@fedia.io 2026-04-15 14:17
The free flow of information empowers the proles, time to take it away.
-
@OR3X@lemmy.world 2026-04-15 13:34
Well, I'll certainly be looking into alternative, user privacy focused devices going forward. I'll miss tap to pay and Android Auto / Carplay but I'll adapt.
-
@leadore@lemmy.world 2026-04-15 20:23
Who is this legislation for? Third party "verifier" companies make tons of money, data brokers make tons of money selling info on which users are minors to advertisers and pdf files, fascist government gets "Total Information Awareness", corrupt government officials make tons of money, ... so much winning! so much money to be made!
-
@kaotic@lemmy.world 2026-04-16 05:39
So, more people learning to compile kernels eh?
-
@jtrek@startrek.website 2026-04-16 00:30
This is stupid to do this at the OS level. Where are the small government conservatives demanding the private market meet this need? (They are liars, fools, and scumbags who don't sincerely believe what they say)
-
@lightnsfw@reddthat.com 2026-04-16 02:14
Unless the parents decide they want to preserve their privacy of course. What about non-parents? Why do parents get to decide for us?
-
@excral@feddit.org 2026-04-16 06:42
"Patents decide" is a very thin veil around the personal data grab this really is. If parents so decide, they are perfectly capable to set up the correct ages for their children without handing any sensitive data over to bog tech. And if they decide to not care about age restrictions, they could still use their personal info to verify as adults on their children's devices. This bill only benefits those, who can collect even more data then
-
@tristynalxander@mander.xyz 2026-04-16 00:00
Hate it, but I honestly think this will pass. Most people won't even notice as Windows already requires an email, so this will probably just add some sort of take a picture of your face thing. The concerning issue is when this leads websites to be able to request the identity of users. Huge chunks of the internet will basically die for anyone who cares about privacy. Linux users can ignore a lot of this, but linux will remain in the minority on all devices, and when most websites plus government websites start using it to access papers and such things... yeah then even linux users will have to figure out a work around maybe scrapers or something... It's dystopian.
-
@Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 2026-04-15 15:10
This is gonna be a great way to teach kids how to circumvent these controls. A whole generation of hackers will be born
-
@msokiovt@lemmy.today 2026-04-15 17:40
Huh, another OS-level digital ID bill? Who would've known? People are already calling this out, especially with the Jesuit class wanting everything in their power to do that.
-
@ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 2026-04-16 07:04
The people that push these laws must be shoved into a solitary confinement for the rest of their lives.
-
@possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 2026-04-16 00:14
They should just name is "save all the children and you are bad person if you don't support this" act
-
@ageedizzle@piefed.ca 2026-04-15 14:07
-
@lechekaflan@lemmy.world 2026-04-16 06:52
 Fuck you, Peter.
-
@kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 2026-04-15 15:12
Fuck. Off.
-
@RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 2026-04-16 01:27
Ah yes, another bill named after something it doesn’t actually do, for people who can’t actually be bothered or are unable to understand technology in order to restrict their kid(s) access anyway.
-
@possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 2026-04-15 16:37
...because doing it at the state level is going so well I hate corporate lobbyists
-
@pglpm@lemmy.ca 2026-04-15 16:38
It's important that any USA citizens that don't agree with this send a protest email or letter to legislators, and even organize protest marches, strikes, or similar. Protesting here is not enough. "Democracy" = "the people rule", literally. Considering that today there's effectively an OS in everyday technologies, you'll probably have to verify your age just to open your fridge.
-
@HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 2026-04-16 05:00
I dunno... Bullet points are pretty LLMy. 
-
@gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de 2026-04-16 23:09
Downvote because your post is mostly tribalism. It's "us users" vs "them evil state who want to surveil us". Have you actually spent time considering whether age verification is beneficial? Whether parents think that their children spend too much time online, or whether the teenagers think that themselves? Have you taken their input and concerns serious? Many people i know irl are saying that children should spent less time online and maybe only in cleaner parts of the internet, which excludes a lot of sites. and they're not saying that because they want to surveil everyone, but because they want to live a simple, unworried life that keeps them away from danger. I think headbashing won't bring us anywhere, we need to listen to people's concerns and take them seriously, and respond with clever wits and thorough analysis. ---- oh and before any of you say "well, parents already have the ability to limit what children can do on their smartphones". well, i did a lot of surveys about who knows these abilities, and who uses them, including here on lemmy, and the result is pretty bleak. 99.9% of people don't know any parental controls, and many believe that there are no effective parental controls today. if you think otherwise, please provide examples.
-
@Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 2026-04-15 15:09
Until you’re like the poor guy I met who couldn’t get out of the courthouse’s parking garage because you pay with an app and he didn’t have a phone.
-
@DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 2026-04-15 15:49
Just don't get a major infection. That will end your fantasy one way or the other.
-
@eli@lemmy.world 2026-04-15 16:15
I guess jury duty is optional where you live?
-
@tankfox@bookwyr.me 2026-04-15 16:12
You sound like someone who would be more valuable to the state as a prisoner anyway! That's in no way an insult.
-
@UnimportantHuman@lemmy.ml 2026-04-15 20:03
This guy understands free will!
-
@RodgeGrabTheCat@sh.itjust.works 2026-04-15 19:13
Are you a frog?
-
@RodgeGrabTheCat@sh.itjust.works 2026-04-15 20:06
LOL