What is the right age verification solution? Is there one right answer? Are there many tools which could be labeled the best age verification solutions? Age validation is the concept of verifying a person’s age usually in order to allow them access or entrance into a digital or physical space which hosts restricted content, products, or services.
What is an Age Verification Solution?
An age verification solution is a means of digital age validation. The best age verification solutions are intuitive and offer a quick process. The purpose of an age verification solution is to be an age gate for users in restricted digital spaces.
Once upon a time inappropriate content on the internet was only offered in specific sites. Nowadays you can find porn in most digital spaces and you can even find it on social media. The separation of this content is becoming less and less strict, not to mention the normalized selling of tobacco and alcohol on e-commerce platforms.
Age verification solutions on the internet are meant to provide a layer of security like the ones we have in physical spaces. In an ideal world an age verification solution is also as simple as a check in the real world, a bouncer or a sales person looks at you, and either assumes based on experience you are over the minimum age limit or asks to see your ID, you are then allowed to go about your day/ purchase your adult product or you are denied access.
Key Technologies Powering Age Verification
An age verification solution can come in a variety of ways and is powered by different technologies. Age validation on digital platforms can be done through the formal uploading of an ID, through biometric verification/ liveness check, through a mobile network verification, databases, and even credit card checks.
The most common way to do age verification is to manually upload your ID. In this scenario you submit a photo of your ID and it is then checked sometimes manually and sometimes through AI. If your birth year is over the minimum requirement you are granted access. In a biometric scan with liveness check, AI -in real time- estimates whether or not you are over a certain threshold and allows you to continue to content/ purchase.
The process of a mobile network verification, database, and credit card is all very similar. In this process a name or registered account is given which is then checked by a 3rd party such as a bank or network provider and so the age validation is carried externally.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Solution
The best age verification solutions focus on user experience. Any digital space which implements age verification will likely lose traffic simply because yes, there will be minors who will have to end their attempts to enter these sites, but also from adults who cannot be bothered to verify their age. Therefore a variety of factors must be considered when choosing an age verification solution such as security, UX, and compliance.
Security is an important factor in age validation. It is necessary to implement an age verification solution that cannot be bypassed or tricked. For example if age verification is done with a mobile carrier it is likely that a minor would have their phone under their parent’s name and so platforms need to be careful that they are not being duped.
An age verification system needs to have a solid user experience process. As previously stated, website traffic will be lost but this can be minimized if the user is kept at the forefront of the experience.
Lastly, an age verification system needs to be compliant. Although it is new, age verification requirements are starting to pop up more and more. While there is no unified law or manner in which age verification solutions must be implemented. An age verification solution must be compliant and if self declaration is not enough platforms need to be aware of the laws of the countries they operate under.
Balancing Security, UX, and Compliance
The right balance between security, user experience, and compliance is what separates a basic tool from the best age verification solutions. A system that’s too strict perhaps could be compliant but will likely frustrate users and impede conversions. On the other hand, a frictionless experience that might not provide efficient validation — and could do more harm than good.
The best way to find the balance between security, user experience, and compliance is to think of them like a perfect triangle: if you push too much on either side the other will be weakened. The best age verification solutions are secure, easy to use, and legally sound. And to be honest this might therefore require you to have multiple solutions available, since giving users a choice will likely lead you to better results.
Final Tips for Selecting the Right Age Validation Approach
In conclusion, There’s no one-size-fits-all age verification solution. The “right” solution depends on your platform, your audience, and the level of risk involved with underage access.
Ask yourself:
- What’s the minimum acceptable level of friction for your users?
- What are the legal requirements where you operate?
- How much risk can your brand afford if the system fails?
Ultimately, the goal is to protect your users and your business — without making your digital space a nightmare to access. If you can achieve that, you’re doing it right.
