It might be for now or in the current implementation but the implication that this information, should it exist, can then be validated and enforced on a service or application level with this value or expansion to more formal forms of identity and age verification is where we are forced to meet dystopia and exchange pleasantries while the guardians watch over our sanctioned play dates.

In systemd it would be optional. This post is about the OS making it a requirement to ask the user birthdate and using said optional field to store it.

ISO Standard corpofascism ruse. It's optional until it's not / "the first dose is free".