Age Verification

Minors accessing digital services and products over the internet is quite common in the digital space. But the lack of proper barriers continue to harm the well-being of underage online users. Since minors are vulnerable to age-exclusive content, the problem needs a solution which aligns well with age verification practices.

What is Age Verification?

Age verification is a digital solution to verify the actual age and identity of individuals to provide or restrict access to online content. It guarantees customers of age-exclusive service providers are of the appropriate age. Using an age verification solution can help online businesses comply with global rules and regulations while providing tailored services to their end-users.

Age-restricted Industries

Some industries are labelled as age-restricted due to the nature of the products and services they provide. These goods are particularly not suitable for people under a specific age limit, most commonly which is 18. A few of these industries are listed below:

E-gaming: The online gaming industry includes a good deal of violent and R-rated games which could have a bad influence on the mental health of minors. Apart from that, e-betting and online gambling are also common which causes a habit of addiction difficult to cope later. 

Tobacco and Alcohol: Consumption of alcohol and tobacco products can cause serious health problems to not only minors but to adults as well. 

E-commerce: Minors using their parent’s payment cards without their consent to buy age-exclusive products from e-commerce stores is a growing concern.

Purchasing Weapons: Gun safety measures are of prime importance when it comes to restricting minors from accessing assault weapons.

Why is Online Age Verification Important?

Non-compliance

Online merchants offering adult-oriented services can face non-compliance penalties due to lack of proper age verification measures. This can put the business under a lot of pressure to make up for the hefty fines. GDPR and COPPA are examples of such laws which ensure enterprises follow proper age restrictions while providing services to customers.  

Brand Image
Since age verification is seen as a social responsibility, customers would engage with age verified businesses more. Maintaining these standards help create a good market reputation and a loyal customer base which can benefit in the long run.

Corporate Social Responsibility
Protecting minors from the harms of age-oriented products and online services is the corporate social responsibility (CSR) of every service provider out there in the market. Age-restricted platforms need to invest in robust age verification tools to restrict minors from easily accessing their services. 

How to Perform Digital Age Verification?

Online Identity Verification

Buyers coming to online platforms can submit their personally identifiable information such as name, date of birth, and address to create a verified profile. The details submitted are put through a series of identity verification checks which determine the credibility of the user. Online identity verification incorporates age authentication standards to ensure children are not granted access to age-restricted platforms.

Document Verification
Online users can submit government-issued IDs to verify their age. Digital document verification extracts important information from the identity documents which age-restricted merchants need to verify. Credit card authentication can also be performed using these services which can reduce the chances of minors using their parent’s cards without their consent.

Facial Biometric Authentication
Facial recognition systems play an essential role in verifying the age of online users. This eliminates the possibility of underage minors or even fraudsters getting away by using forged documents to gain access to age-oriented products. Facial biometric authentication is a good means of ensuring KYC standards while complying with age verification obligations.