Technological advancements have streamlined many prospects of our lives and made it simpler & easier to access services. Many of businesses have shifted their services online, as people have become more reliant on technological and online interactions. With many people accessing services through online platforms stresses concerns about the legitimacy of the individuals accessing services. It’s hard to funnel who has access to whether the right individuals are getting services. To protect minors from age-exclusive services or products, governments, and regulatory bodies stress businesses. To deploy robust age verification protocols to verify the age of users.
Need for Age Verification Online
Imagine a minor stumbling upon a violent video game or explicit content. The consequences could be far-reaching, affecting the psychological development of underage. No doubt, the internet offers a treasure of information, entertainment, and connectivity for kids and adults. However, access to explicit content or services could be devastating. Tech-savvy minors can easily dodge the traditional methods of online age verification such as providing date of birth or age gating and get their hands on age-restricted services or products.
Restricting minors from accessing age-exclusive services is a major concern in today’s fast-paced and modern world. Access to age-restricted services like pornography, adult content, or online gambling. Age-exclusive products like tobacco, alcohol, or pharmaceuticals could severely impact a child’s development. Keeping these detrimental consequences in consideration, there are robust online age verification regulations requiring businesses to effectively verify the age of their users.
Which Industries are strictly obligated to Conduct Robust Age Verification Online?
All service providers and businesses operating online are required to deploy advanced age verification systems to accurately verify the age of users before granting them access to services. However, some industries are stringently required to comply with age verification regulations and effectively verify the age of users to restrict minors’ access to age-restricted services or content.
Alcohol or Tobacco Sales:
In the United States, individuals must be at least 21 years old to purchase alcohol or tobacco-related products like nicotine gels, hookah pipes, smokeless cigarettes, or dissolvables. Merchants selling these products must rigorously verify the age of customers before allowing them access to these age-restricted items.
Online Gambling Sites:
Children are more attracted to gambling offers and tend to get access to such sites. Many jurisdictions have set age limitations to restrict minors’ access to these services and deploy age verification systems for accurate verification of users. The age limitation for participating in gambling operations varies from country to country, many countries set the limit to 18, while others restrict the participation to 21-year-old adults. Online gambling sites are potentially required to restrict users from accessing the services, as gambling is addictive and can impose financial problems for teenagers.
e-Gaming Industry:
Online video games are often violent and contain mature themes or other content that isn’t suitable for minors’ psychological development. In addition, it induces a habit of e-betting and gambling-related habits in teenagers which are challenging to cope with later. The e-gaming industry must rigorously conduct robust age verification online, making the digital world safe for children.
Pharmaceutical Industry:
The rise of online pharmacies and the public’s great reliance on these medical services call for the need to deploy age verification systems to ensure that medications are granted to deserving individuals only. The focus of deploying age verification services in the pharmaceutical industry isn’t solely on verifying the age of users. But also on preventing the misuse of prescribed drugs and avoiding accidental access to medications.
Regulatory Framework in Different Jurisdictions
To make the Internet a safe world for kids, many jurisdictions globally are establishing robust laws. Regulatory frameworks obligate social media platforms, online service providers, and merchants of products. Ensure minors aren’t granted access to age-exclusive services.
- Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in the United States outlines certain guidelines for online content producers before collecting personal information from users under 13 years old. The service providers must develop clear and transparent policies. It mandated what information they would be collecting and when to parental consent.
- Online Safety Bill in the United Kingdom, which became law in October 2023, requires social media platforms. Online content providers deploy age limits and restrict minors from accessing age-exclusive content. Additionally, the act introduces guidelines for online adult content providers to restrict minors from accessing explicit content by effectively verifying the age of users.
- Article 8 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) named ‘Conditions Applicable to Child’s Consent to Information Society Services. Outlines certain guidelines regarding the collection of personal information under 16. Moreover, regulatory standards must be while collecting sensitive information to preserve the integrity of the online world.
Final Thoughts
It’s crucial to maintain a balance between the security and privacy of minor’s sensitive information. The implementation of age verification systems requires careful consideration. Prioritize user privacy, promote digital literacy, and actively engage businesses in negotiations.