Age Verification Laws & Regulations Worldwide: 2025 Update

Introduction

Online platforms now face unprecedented pressure to prove users’ ages. From preventing minors viewing explicit content to ensuring lawful delivery of age‑restricted goods, regulators on every continent tightened the rules in 2024‑25. This article distils the most important changes and pairs them with fresh data from Shufti’s global age‑assurance network, so your compliance plan is ready for 2025 and beyond.

Global Regulatory Snapshot (2024‑25)

Staying ahead of legal change means understanding not just where the laws stand today but how they evolved over the last 18 months. The snapshot below highlights the key regulatory milestones issued or enforced in 2024‑25 across major regions.

European Union

• Digital Services Act (DSA) – In force for Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) since August 2023, Article 35(1) now explicitly lists age‑verification as a risk‑mitigation measure. Compliance reports are due August 2025 for all in‑scope services.
• EDPB Statement 1/2025 – Published 11 Feb 2025, the European Data Protection Board clarifies that any age‑assurance technique must be data‑minimising, proportionate and auditable.
• EU Temporary Age Verification App – The Commission is funding a white‑label AV wallet, scheduled for beta release summer 2025, ahead of the EU Digital Identity Wallet in 2026.

United Kingdom

• Online Safety Act 2023 – The regulator Ofcom’s draft codes make high‑risk services introduce “highly effective” age‑verification by July 2025. Penalties can reach 10 % of global turnover.

France

• Age‑Verification Decree 2024 – Adult sites that cannot verify age have been blocked. Pornhub, YouPorn and RedTube voluntarily geoblocked French users in June 2025, citing privacy concerns and ongoing legal appeals.

United States

• State‑Level AV Statutes – By May 2025, 19 states (including Utah, Louisiana, Texas and Tennessee) require age checks for online pornography or social media. Litigation is ongoing, but many sites now block access where compliance tooling is absent.

Australia

• Draft Online Safety AV Code – Under consultation since October 2024; final rules are expected Q1 2025. Non‑compliant adult and gambling sites risk removal from search results and social‑media links.

Pro‑tip: Regulations differ by sector (adult, gambling, alcohol, social media) and enforcement model (licensing vs. civil liability). Map your product features against each jurisdiction.

Shufti Analytics: Age Assurance at Scale (2024‑25)

Behind every regulation is real‑world user behaviour. The following metrics derive from anonymised, aggregated transaction data processed by Shufti between January 2023 and May 2025, illustrating how compliance demands have shifted and how businesses are responding.

Key takeaway: The switch to layered AV (AI facial age‑estimation ➜ document check ➜ reusable Fast ID token) cut abandonment by 18 % on high‑risk flows while satisfying GDPR proportionality tests.

2025 Compliance Calendar

The calendar below distils the most pressing deadline dates of the next 12 months so you can map remediation tasks and engineering sprints accordingly.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What’s the difference between age estimation and age verification?
   Age estimation predicts an approximate age from a facial image. Age verification is a definitive check against an authoritative source (ID document, data bureau, digital ID wallet). Shufti combines both to optimise conversion.
2. Are facial‑recognition AV methods legal under GDPR?
   Yes provided you have a lawful basis (often legitimate interests or consent), run robust liveness/anti‑spoofing, and delete biometric templates once the check completes.
3. Do small e‑commerce sites need to comply with the DSA?
   Micro and small enterprises (<50 staff & <€10 m turnover) are exempt from some DSA duties, but local consumer‑protection laws may still require AV for restricted goods.
4. How accurate is AI age estimation today?
   Shufti’s latest model returns ±2.9 years MAE on a 2 M‑image test set, with <0.1 % spoof acceptance.
5. What happens if I ignore state AV laws in the U.S.?
   Platforms face statutory damages up to $10,000 per violation and may be geo‑blocked by ISPs or voluntarily withdraw, as seen in Louisiana and Utah.

Conclusion

Age‑verification is no longer a “nice to have”. With coordinated EU guidance, landmark UK and U.S. statutes, and fast‑moving markets like Australia, 2025 will cement AV as a baseline trust signal. By adopting a layered, privacy‑first solution like Shufti, businesses can protect minors, comply with global mandates, and keep conversion rates high.

Need help? Talk to Shufti’s compliance experts about piloting AI‑powered age assurance today.

References

1. European Data Protection Board, “Statement 1/2025 on Age‑Appropriate Design”, 11 February 2025.
   
2. Ofcom, “Online Safety Act: Draft Codes of Practice”, March 2025.
   
3. European Commission, Digital Services Act (Regulation (EU) 2022/2065).
   
4. French Decree No. 2024‑340 of 24 April 2024 on age verification for online pornographic services.
   
5. Utah SB 287 “Digital Protection for Minors”, effective 1 May 2024.
   
6. Australian eSafety Commissioner, “Draft Industry Standard for Age Verification”, October 2024.
   
7. Shufti Internal Analytics Report, Q2 2025.