As everything moves online, new rules and regulations are emerging to ensure that age verification systems are robust and effective. In both the US and EU, recent legislation is tightening the reins on how businesses handle age verification, especially with the widespread use of social media and access to age-restricted content. Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Digital Identity, 2024 report highlights why this is so critical right now—businesses need to comply with these regulations without creating friction for users.
Business Impact
The report underscores the importance of reliable age verification for businesses, especially in light of new laws like the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act (CAADCA) in the US and the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) amendments focused on children’s online privacy. Companies need to find ways to meet these regulations while ensuring a smooth user experience. It’s all about balancing legal compliance with keeping customers happy. Plus, with these laws, parents are gaining more tools to control what their kids are doing online, making this an even more pressing issue.
Key Drivers
So, what’s driving the push for better age verification? A few key factors include:
Parental Concerns: Parents are increasingly worried about their kids’ online activities, especially with the rise of social media and age-restricted content.
Compliance Needs: New laws, like the CAADCA and updated GDPR regulations, are pushing businesses to adopt more stringent age verification methods to avoid legal trouble.
Innovative Solutions: These new regulations are driving companies to develop better age verification technology that can seamlessly integrate into existing platforms.
Give your business the boost of a fully automated, KYC process. No geographical limits and fast, frictionless onboarding verification processes enhance customer’s experience.
Challenges
Of course, implementing these systems comes with its own set of challenges:
Balancing Compliance and User Experience: Businesses need to ensure they’re adhering to the new regulations without creating a frustrating experience for users.
Data Privacy Concerns: Protecting kids’ personal information and addressing privacy concerns are now legally required in many regions. Companies must build systems that are both secure and user-friendly.
The market for age verification solutions seems to grow every day, fueled by these new laws and the increasing need for secure and effective systems. Some of the leading vendors mentioned by Gartner, including AU10TIX, BlueCheck, FaceTec, Jumio, Persona, PRIVO, Veridas, Veriff, and Yoti, are developing innovative solutions. While it’s great to acknowledge the market is growing, our focus today is on how these systems enhance safety and trust for users, rather than just ticking regulatory boxes.
A Personal Perspective
As tech-savvy moms, we’ve seen firsthand the problems that arise from weak age verification on digital platforms, especially in the gaming world. It’s not just about keeping out harmful content—it’s about addressing the behaviors these platforms can encourage. For example, in-app purchases can quickly get out of hand when a child unknowingly racks up charges through a linked credit card.
With shared family information stored on the cloud, a kid can download a game, get caught up in it, and start making purchases without parental oversight. This is why stronger age verification and parental controls, as mandated by new regulations, aren’t just nice to have—they’re necessary.
Companies like AU10TIX are leading the charge, and we’re encouraged to come to work each day and see the innovative solutions being developed to meet these new legal requirements. We advocate for systems that make the digital world a safer place and support the technology that protects our families.
Learn more about our Age Verification Solutions here.
