How Age Verification Improves Online Safety and Regulatory Compliance
It’s highly alarming to know that nearly 54% of minors effortlessly get access to adult content and services by effectively bypassing ID verification systems. Underage users have become sophisticated with technological innovation and have discovered ways to dodge authentication systems to get their hands on adult services. Safeguarding minors from accessing restricted services and promising enhanced security is the call of the hour and necessity of today’s digital era.
Many jurisdictions worldwide are putting efforts into establishing stringent age verification laws and regulatory frameworks to govern age verification services and enhance minors’ safety. The United Kingdom has enacted ‘The Digital Economy Act 2017’ which mandates online service providers to accurately authenticate individuals before granting access to explicit content, thus making the internet secure for underage.
Online Age Verification: Safeguarding Minors from Adult Content
The transition to accessing services online effortlessly has streamlined real-life processes, at the same time concerns regarding children’s access to adult services have been raised. Online businesses and service providers are strictly advised to conduct robust age verification checks to verify only the right individuals are availing of services and purchasing products. For instance, the right age to purchase alcohol or tobacco products is defined as 21, and merchants of such products are mandated to verify the age of consumers to protect underage from accessing products.
Exposure to explicit material provokes a sense of exploitation and violence, leading to insensitive behavior and distressing morals in minors. This in a long race severely impacts the psychological well-being of underage children, driven by developing a sense of irritability and grumpiness.
Why Age Verification is So Important?
Age verification checks not only facilitate businesses and online service providers to comply with regulatory frameworks and avoid heavy penalties but also enhance customer trust & loyalty. Effective age verification online safeguards minors from accessing adult content and saves them from the later consequences that are difficult to cope with once developed. Apart from restricted products and explicit content, the reach of pharmaceutical products must also be halted to prevent minors from taking unprescribed medications.
People are largely relying on social media platforms like Instagram, X (previously known as Twitter), and Facebook for enhanced interactions and sources of connectivity. With increased ease comes problems, these social platforms often reveal adult content that is harmful to minors, and badly affects their behavior and psychological well-being. These leading social media platforms are required to filter the content before posting and verify the user’s age to ensure that content is being watched by valid users.
How Do Age Verification Checks Help Businesses to Enhance Minors Safety?
Studies indicate that businesses and online service providers who actively verify the age of their customers facilitate them in avoiding penalties and improving customer experience. The United States has regulated gambling and the market for online gambling is substantially growing, with online sports betting reaching $2.006 billion in October 2023 and $2.1 billion in November. Minors are attracted to online gambling and attempt to take part by falsely proving their identities. The minimum age allowed to take part in online gambling is 18 in some countries while others restrict the age to 21 years. It’s been observed that online gambling sites that strictly represented compliance with age verification laws and accurately authenticated the users, ensured only adults were given access to the services.
E-commerce platforms have gained popularity with increased reliance on digital platforms and attract users from all over the world. Minors attempt to get access to age-restricted products including alcohol, tobacco, vapes, and hookah pipes through leading e-commerce platforms. With rising concerns about robust age verification online, e-commerce has paid great authentication to verify the identity of its customers and ensure that only adults get access to such products. Relying heavily on efficient age verification checks and implementing robust identification systems, e-commerce has potentially reduced the risk of minor’s access to age-restricted products.
Enhanced Regulatory Compliance
Age verification checks not only safeguard minors from the harmful consequences of explicit content but also help businesses & online content producers to effectively comply with relevant regulatory frameworks. Many jurisdictions have developed stringent regulations and mandate online service providers to strictly adhere to the guidelines. Non-compliance could lead to businesses being subject to heavy fines, charges, and penalties. Various businesses have represented a strong commitment to compliance with age verification regulations and ensuring minors’ safety.
Last Word
Traditional methods of ID verification like age gating are not sufficient anymore, as children have learned how to dodge authentication systems by lying about their exact ages. Advanced and robust age verification systems integrated with sophisticated AI algorithms can effectively verify identity by analyzing facial features revealing the exact age of the user. In addition, age verification ensures the integrity of online businesses and indicates that the internet is safe to use for everyone. Effective age verification checks also preserve the privacy of users and come forth as a cornerstone of ethical & upright online conduct.
