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Comment by blackqueeriroh | Hacker News Reader

This is an intentionally vague law, and seems like the governor is more than happy to call for amendments: https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AB-1043-Si...

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I think it’s a gross failing on the part of the state to intentionally _pass_ a bad/vague law and then ask for amendments. If you can’t write a good law, then don’t pass it. Corporations already do enough beta testing on people and the government certainly shouldn’t beta test laws.

Amendment 1: Parents must parent first. State must not nanny.

Nothing about this law restricts what a parent is allowed to do with respect to their children. If a parent wants to set up a device or account for their kid and set the age of the account to 18+, that does not violate the law.

The bill affects operating systems and apps, requiring them to have only the most basic feature necessary to implement age-based restrictions, and to make it an official platform-wide API instead of each app implementing their own age verification scheme. But parents remain free to use or ignore the age setting at their own discretion.

Wait, so, say I build XYZ Distro of Linux, but dotn want to cater to children, am I still required to implement a way for setting up a DoB?

Even if say I am based in timbuktu, but allow for my ISO to be downloadede bye a resident of the state of california?

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