[33degrees]

> Is this a by-product of some compliance or self-regulatory requirement like ESRB?

Yes, Steam addressed this an announcement a few years ago:

> Q: Why do you KEEP asking my damn age throughout the store?

> A: We're with you on this. Unfortunately, many rating agencies have rules that stipulate that we cannot save your age for longer than a single browsing session. It's frustrating, but know we're filling out those age gates too.

https://steamcommunity.com/games/593110/announcements/detail...

[Geonode]

Steam always remembers my date of birth: Jan. 1 1900, just like half their users.

[unsafecast]

For me it's always 1990-01-01

[zhfliz]

why isn't 1970-01-01 more common?

[Tepix]

It's surprising that they are not even allowed to remember that you are older than, say, 21.

[cowsup]

I can understand the “better safe than sorry” mindset. If I have a 15 year old son who wants to play Resident Evil, I’d be willing to let him play it, despite the “M” rating. But I wouldn’t then want a service to set it so that he’s allowed to view M-rated games in perpetuity, since M-rated games can vary greatly.