By Joel R. McConvey
Publication Date: 2026-09-08 21:40:00
Whether because of its age, its product focus or its relatively anemic branding, Microsoft has not caught much public scrutiny in debates over age assurance. Apple and Google, which make phones, run their operating systems and manage their app stores, have presented as bigger targets.
In what could be seen as a proactive move on the company’s part, it has announced a restructuring of child safety and account privacy features on Windows 11, which includes moving age assurance directly into the operating system via the Windows Age API.
The API follows the model established by Apple and replicated by Google, which uses a declared age range provided at the time of device registration to tailor app content according to age bands or brackets. Per Windows’ developer blog, “these APIs are designed for apps that need to comply with child safety regulations without requiring the app to collect, store, or process date of birth or other personally identifiable…
