Apple’s AI now needs a photo of your face — to satisfy new age-verify laws

Some of the first age verification laws are starting to roll out across the United States. One of them requires iPhone owners to take a selfie so that Apple’s AI can verify their age. Here’s which states are affected so far, plus the more intrusive measures you can expect in the future.

Although hotly contested for the privacy implications they could bring, age verification laws are looking like an inevitability across the United States. Some target specific sectors of tech, like access to AI, while others would prevent you from using your devices entirely without an ID. And chances are, you'll be surprised to see which state is leading the charge.

If the scan fails, you are required to provide more information to complete the process.

Senate Bill 2420, signed into law by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), requires platform holders that operate online app stores to verify the ages of their users before they download apps to their smartphones. Federal District Judge Robert Pitman tried to block the bill before it went into effect in January 2026, but his efforts ultimately fell flat at the hands of Attorney General Ken Paxton, who reversed the block in June. As of today, Senate Bill 2420 is the law of the land.

It’s important to note that both Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton lost their races for Texas governor and senator during the midterms this fall, ceding control of the red state to Democrats for the first time in decades.

Like all the other age verification bills on the table right now, Senate Bill 2420 is meant to protect children and minors from harmful content accessible in apps on app stores. While it’s a noble cause, the unfortunate truth is that adult users are the ones who will have to forfeit their privacy – or the semblance of it – to prove that they’re old enough to use their devices unabated.

Now that Senate Bill 2420 is in place, Apple may require users in Texas to take a photo of themselves to verify their age. According to Apple, “your selfie is analyzed using age-estimation models that run both on-device and on Private Cloud Compute, which extends the security and privacy of your Apple device into the cloud.”

This process is meant to be completely private to ensure user data isn’t leaked, compromised, or shared outside of the verification system. “[Your photo] isn't accessible to anyone, not even Apple,” the company claims. Once verification is complete, the image is deleted entirely with no data retention.

RELATED: How to enable the ultimate parental controls on iPhone

Organic Media/Getty Images/Getty Images

On the bright side, the selfie-based age check won’t require users to submit a valid state ID or passport in most cases. Instead, the system runs the selfie image through Apple’s Private Cloud Compute AI system to scan for adult visual traits. If the image passes the age check, you’re all set with no further action needed.

However, if the scan fails — either because your age is inconclusive from the photo or for another reason — you are required to provide more information to complete the process. Apple notes that you must either submit a photo of your credit card that includes your name or a copy of your state-issued ID with all information markers clearly visible.

Apple’s selfie-based age verification system is available on iOS 27.2 and up. Prior versions of iOS do not contain this age check provision to satisfy state laws, so you may be forced to update to the latest software in order to comply.

While selfie-based age checks are intrusive enough to cause a stir among the privacy-conscious, Apple released another document detailing even more invasive age verification measures. The document notes that some states in the future may actually require a state ID or credit card as a first measure instead of selfie verification.

In these cases, Apple says that users who refuse to verify their age will be blocked from disabling certain unnamed safety features on their devices, and they won’t be allowed to download apps rated for users 18 years old or older. The only users who will be spared are those who have had an Apple account long enough to confirm their adult status.

If you’re upset about the new age verification laws in Texas, you can thank Gov. Abbott and AG Paxton for diminishing your privacy rights on behalf of the minors they aim to defend. Then again, the people have already passed their judgment on the ruling class by shoving them out the door this past election cycle, albeit a little too late to stop Senate Bill 2420 from going into effect.

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