Play Age Signal API and Admob sdk

[Game Games]

My app displays Admob ads rated 18+ because my app's target age is set to 18+. Can I use the Play Age Signal API in my app to ensure that if a user is under 18, the Admob SDK won't launch and Admob won't collect data about users under 18? However, the documentation (https://developer.android.com/google/play/age-signals/overview#:~:text=not%20limited%20to%2C-,advertising,-%2C%20marketing%2C%20user%20profiling) states that the Play Age Signals API can't be used for advertising. Does this mean I can't use the Play Age Signals API to check age to prevent Admob SDK from running?

2) The email subject says "new tool for complying with payment requirements in app stores in some US states." If my app has a target age of 18+ and no purchases or subscriptions, only the Admob SDK, do I need to install the Play Age Signals API to verify age and avoid launching the Admob SDK?

Please help me figure this out, as I haven't found any answers in the documentation.

[Mobile Ads SDK Forum Advisor]

Hi,

Thank you for contacting the Mobile Ads SDK Support team.  

Please find the below answers to your queries:

1. Yes, you can’t use the Play Age Signals API for that, because Google’s documentation  says it cannot be used for advertising, marketing, or user profiling. For ad requests: use the AdMob SDK configuration methods to indicate   non-personalised/limited ads for under-age or unknown-age users. This tells AdMob that the user is under age of consent / child-directed, so they use limited/non-personalised ads. I would recommend you to refer to the Child-directed setting

2. No, you are not explicitly required to install the Play Age Signals API in this specific scenario. When you declare your app's target audience as 18+ in the Google Play Console, Google Play expects your audience to be adults. This setting already restricts minors from easily finding and installing your app. Please refer to the Manage target audience and app content settings

I hope this helps, please reach out to us if you have any other questions relates to Mobile Ads SDK.

Thanks,
 

Mobile Ads SDK Team

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[2025-11-03 18:49:14Z GMT] This message is in relation to case "ref:!00D1U01174p.!500Ht01vSTBE:ref" (ADR-00338290)

[Game Games]

Thank you, Admob SDK support, for your reply. Please answer my clarifying question.

Here's my question:
1) When I filled out the form before publishing my app, the age restriction for my app was automatically set to +3. But then I set the target age in Google Play to 18+ and checked the option (Do not allow users who have indicated in their Google Account that they are under 18 to access my app) and checked the checkbox (I understand that Google Play may not apply these restrictions to users who have not indicated that they are under 18). If I understand correctly, only users 18+ can download my app.
Does this mean that I don't need to install the Child-Directed Setting and Play Age Signal API in accordance with the new SB 2420 law for the US if my app doesn't have subscriptions or purchases, but only has an Admob SDK with 18+ ads?

понедельник, 3 ноября 2025 г. в 20:50:21 UTC+2, Mobile Ads SDK Forum Advisor:

[Game Games]

Admob SDK support, please answer my question, this is very important to me.

Here's my question:
1) When I filled out the form before publishing my app, the age restriction for my app was automatically set to +3. But then I set the target age in Google Play to 18+ and checked the option (Do not allow users who have indicated in their Google Account that they are under 18 to access my app) and checked the checkbox (I understand that Google Play may not apply these restrictions to users who have not indicated that they are under 18). If I understand correctly, only users 18+ can download my app.

Does this mean that I don't need to install the Child-Directed Setting and Play Age Signal API in accordance with the new SB 2420 law for the US if my app doesn't have subscriptions or purchases, but only has an Admob SDK with 18+ ads?

[Mobile Ads SDK Forum Advisor]

Hi,

Thank you for reaching out to us.

Regarding the AdMob setting tagForChildDirectedTreatment(true) this option is used to indicate that your app is directed to children under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). When enabled, AdMob limits data collection and only serves ads suitable for child-directed content.

Ensure your AdMob setup is not using tagForChildDirectedTreatment(true) (since your app is not child-directed). You likely set it to false or leave unset. That aligns with your adult-only audience.

For questions about Google Play’s age restrictions, the Play Age Signals API, or compliance with US state laws such as SB 2420, please contact the Google Play Developer Support team, as those topics fall outside Google Mobile Ads SDK scope.

Kindly note that our support channel can only best assist you with regards to Google Mobile Ads SDK implementation and technical issues.

 

Thanks,
 

Mobile Ads SDK Team

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[2025-11-06 15:14:54Z GMT] This message is in relation to case "ref:!00D1U01174p.!500Ht01vSTBE:ref" (ADR-00338290)

[Game Games]

Thank you for your reply. Please answer my questions.

Here are my questions.

1) You wrote: "Ensure your AdMob setup is not using tagForChildDirectedTreatment(true) (since your app is not child-directed). You likely set it to false or leave it unset. That aligns with your adult-only audience.")

- I don't use tagForChildDirectedTreatment in my code, and in my AdMob account settings, I have the slider set as shown in the screenshot. Am I doing everything correctly to show 18+ ads in an app where the target age is set to 18+ on Google Play?

[Mobile Ads SDK Forum Advisor]

Hi,

Yes, based on the information provided, you appear to be doing everything correctly to show 18+ ads in your app.

Thanks,
 

Mobile Ads SDK Team

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[2025-11-06 23:30:51Z GMT] This message is in relation to case "ref:!00D1U01174p.!500Ht01vSTBE:ref" (ADR-00338290)