The explosion of the internet has raised online consumption rates sporadically, hitting approximately 2 billion users every day. While this growth promises improved online opportunities and the promotion of a better sense of global community, the internet has also posed glaring errors and harm.
As a result, lawmakers, activists, and parents across the globe are actively pushing for regulations that will safeguard minors against unwarranted online exploitation. The need for digital age verification is slowly taking on a new form of urgency.
But what is age verification? How does it work? And, can websites really age check users?
Read on for more insights.
What is Age Verification?
Digital age verification, popularly known as age gating, is an online onboarding process that safeguards users and audiences against consuming illicit content. Businesses operating in age-appropriate spaces are obliged to offer their goods and services to individuals within the stipulated age groups.
It is fundamental for your business to run a background check on your users, and age verification is the indispensable method to go about it. This way, children can perform online activities while complying with the age verification regulations.
Understanding Age Verification Popup
An age verification popup is a technical channel for digital age verification. It is the widget that appears on your screen when scouring a website. The purpose of the popup is to ensure web visitors do not miss out on identifying themselves as old enough to consume the site’s content.
Technically, the verification popup must be compulsory to every user and must appear immediately after the customer clicks on the sign-up button. To simplify the widget, you can tailor make the editor into a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ campaign. For instance, ‘Are You Over 18’ for websites designed for customers above 18 years.
Why Websites Verify Your Age
Age verification is one step to building a reputable online business, and here is why.
- Eligibility Filtering
Products and services are sometimes limited to specified age groups, and age verification is the only way to filter the traffic visiting your website. When new visitors get the popup demanding them to confirm their age, it is obvious the online content they are about to consume is tailored for specific target audiences. - Legal Compliance
Most countries across the world have robust age verification regulations that guide online operations within their jurisdictions. It is a legal requirement for age-restricted service providers to put an age cap on their online user enrollment processes. - Keep Children Off
Businesses selling adult products, such as alcohol and cannabis, will want to keep off children from accessing their websites, and age verification is the ideal way around it. Digital access to age-prohibitive products by children is not only damaging to them, but it is also against global children rights.
How Age Verification Works
Manually, businesses selling age-restricted products would require buyers present proof of age documents. While online age verification follows the same tenets, the digital process plays by a different book. Here is an overview.
- DoB Submission
The basic means of verifying your age on a website is submitting your date of birth. This is done through an online form made available during the signup process. - Identity Verification
Some websites will authenticate your identity through such methods as facial recognition and fingerprint identification. The idea is to add an extra layer of data reference to boost the level of trust in the information provided about one’s identity. - Proof of Age Documents
The downside of submitting one’s date of birth is that anyone can manipulate the numbers to bypass the verification process. With proof of age documents, such as passports, identification cards, and driving licenses, there is no room to being malicious about your age. - Document Authentication
Providing proof of age documents is one thing, and authentication of the same is another. In most cases, an online business will deploy a third-party service that compares your documents against service provider databases and government portals.
However, some systems are integrated with government databases, allowing you to provide passport, ID, and driving license numbers only for verification.
Can Websites Verify Your Age?
Today, age verification is an urgent and legal necessity, and online businesses have an obligation to countercheck your age before granting you access to their services. The implication of operating devoid of age verification systems can be quite damaging to any online business. No business is really ready for unsolicited fines and legal fights for allowing a minor to consume its content. So, it goes without saying that websites can and should verify your age to sign you in.
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