Gottheimer seeks new federal age check requirements for operating systems in House bill

U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer has introduced a bill in the House designed to institute mandatory age verification for operating system users in an effort to boost protections for minors online, according to the U.S. Congress.

Identified as H.R.8250, the bill was presented on April 13, 2026, during the 119th Congress’ 2026 regular session. Below is an overview based on the official bill document with clarifications added for understanding.

The bill stipulates that operating system providers must verify the age of each user before permitting account creation or granting access to the operating system. Users must supply their date of birth, and those younger than 18 would require parent or legal guardian verification. Providers also have to build a system that allows app developers to access necessary information for age checks. There are safe harbor clauses offering providers liability protection if requirements are met. Enforcement and regulatory guidelines are assigned to the Federal Trade Commission, which must draft regulations within 180 days of passage, with the law set to become effective one year after enactment. Eighteen months after enactment, an implementation report is to be delivered to Congress.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (Democrat-NJ-5th District) is the primary sponsor, alongside co-sponsor Rep. Elise M. Stefanik (Republican-NJ-21st District).

Since this session started, Rep. Gottheimer has introduced 62 other bills.

Congressional bills may start in either the House of Representatives or the Senate—except for tax legislation, which must come from the House. New bills are sent to committees for examination, hearings, modifications, and discussions before moving to a vote in both chambers. The president receives any bill passed in the same form by both chambers and may sign or veto it. Each congressional term is two years, numbered sequentially and split into annual sessions. The full legislative process and bill archiving are maintained by Congress on Congress.gov.

Josh S. Gottheimer represents New Jersey in the U.S. House, elected as a Democrat to the One Hundred Fifteenth and the next four Congresses, starting his tenure January 3, 2017. He received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997 and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2004.

The information in this article is sourced from the U.S. Congress. Find the source data here.