What Is Age Verification? Ensuring Compliance and Privacy Online

Key Takeaways:  

•  Age verification helps businesses meet regulatory requirements by confirming users meet the minimum legal age to access restricted content or services. This is essential in industries like gambling, alcohol sales, and adult content.
• Traditional age verification methods, like self-declared birthdates, are becoming outdated. New, more secure, and privacy-conscious verification methods are needed to meet stricter regulations.
•  More countries and businesses are implementing age verification across various activities, from social media platforms to streaming services. These growing requirements reflect a global push for stronger protections.

 

Governments around the world are taking stronger steps to protect minors online—and age verification is quickly becoming central to that effort. Nearly every U.S. state has introduced at least one bill requiring platforms to verify a user’s age before granting access to restricted content, and nearly half have already passed new laws. Globally, countries like Australia and the UK are advancing similar measures. Australia, for example, recently proposed mandatory age checks for social media and adult websites, while Utah became the first U.S. state to require app stores—not just individual apps—to verify users’ ages.

This shift isn’t just political. According to MarketsandMarkets, the identity verification market—including age-related checks—is expected to double by 2028, reaching $21.8 billion. As concerns mount over child safety, data misuse, and digital addiction, regulators and parents alike are demanding stronger protections.

The growing regulatory pressure—and the split among major tech platforms—has raised important questions: What does age verification actually involve? What are the risks of getting it wrong? And how can businesses stay compliant while protecting user privacy?

This article breaks it down—from the difference between age assurance and verification to the rise of privacy-first technologies that could help platforms navigate compliance without compromising user trust.

What Is Age Verification?

Age verification is the process of confirming that a user meets a required minimum age before accessing certain content, services, or products. It’s commonly used to restrict access to areas like adult content, gambling platforms, age-rated games, and online sales of alcohol or tobacco.

For businesses, it’s about meeting legal obligations and managing regulatory risk. For users—especially minors—it acts as a safeguard against exposure to inappropriate or potentially harmful material.

While many platforms still rely on basic methods like self-declared birthdates, these are increasingly considered inadequate. New regulations are raising expectations, calling for more reliable, evidence-based checks. What counts as “sufficient” age verification is evolving—businesses must adopt solutions that are not only compliant, but also privacy-conscious and user-friendly.

The Difference Between Age Verification And Age Assurance

Age verification and age assurance are often confused, but regulators treat them as very different approaches to checking a user’s age. Understanding the distinction is critical, because not all methods meet today’s compliance standards.

Age verification means confirming someone’s exact age against trusted and authoritative data sources. This can include:

• Government-issued IDs such as passports, driver’s licenses, or mobile IDs
• Payment methods such as credit card checks
• Biometric analysis with liveness detection

Verification is the legally required option in tightly regulated industries such as gambling, adult content, and alcohol sales, where proof of age is non-negotiable.

Age assurance, in contrast, provides only an estimate that a person falls within a certain age range. It may rely on:

• AI-powered facial estimation tools
• Behavioral cues and usage patterns
• Self-declared information, like entering a birthdate or checking a box

Assurance is often used where the goal is to reduce the risk of underage access but exact proof isn’t legally mandated. For example, social media platforms may use assurance to decide whether a user sees teen-restricted features or parental controls.

This distinction matters because laws are increasingly specific about when full verification is required and when lighter assurance may be acceptable. Regulators such as the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA) note that verification provides the certainty needed for legal compliance, while assurance is typically limited to lower-risk settings. As U.S. states and international regulators tighten standards, businesses must be clear about which approach applies in which context.

U.S. States That Have Enacted Age Verification Laws

As of March 2025, nearly two dozen U.S. states have passed legislation requiring age verification for access to age-restricted content and services. While most focus on adult platforms, others extend to alcohol, tobacco, and even app downloads.

Examples of enacted laws include:

• Louisiana: Requires ID verification for adult content and mandates checks for online alcohol and tobacco purchases.
• Arkansas: Requires age verification for viewing adult content online.
• Idaho: Enforces age checks for access to adult websites.
• Indiana: Requires age verification for adult platforms and other age-sensitive services.
• Florida: Implements comprehensive age verification across multiple online platforms.
• Alabama: Mandates strong age verification processes for adult content sites.
• Kentucky: Requires strict age checks for users accessing explicit content.
• Georgia: Introduces mandatory age verification for certain online platforms.
• North Carolina: Sets standards for verifying age before accessing adult or restricted content.
• Utah: Requires app stores—not just individual apps—to verify users’ ages before allowing downloads of age-restricted apps.

While the scope and enforcement mechanisms differ from state to state, the overall trend shows lawmakers are moving toward proof-based standards that require businesses to verify users’ ages with greater certainty.

Industries Impacted By Age Verification Laws

Age verification requirements are no longer confined to adult websites. As new state and international laws come into force, industries across the digital economy are being reshaped by stricter compliance standards. Below are some of the sectors most directly affected.

1. E-commerce (Alcohol and Tobacco Sales)

Online retailers selling restricted goods like alcohol and tobacco are expected to apply the same safeguards used in physical stores. Platforms such as Drizly built ID verification into checkout and delivery. After Uber acquired Drizly in 2021, these measures carried over to Uber Eats, cementing robust age checks as part of alcohol delivery compliance.

2. Social Media Platforms

Social networks face mounting scrutiny for how they protect minors. In 2024, Instagram introduced “Teen Accounts” with stricter protections for users aged 13–17. Platforms such as YouTube and Spotify have also stepped up with ID-based checks in response to new safety laws and parental pressure—a trend we cover further in our article on why online platforms are cracking down with ID checks. Regulators including the FTC in the U.S. and the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) have signaled that platforms will be held accountable for insufficient protections.

3. Adult Content Websites

Adult platforms remain the most directly impacted by state-level laws. Louisiana, Utah, and other states now require ID-based verification, forcing companies like Pornhub to block access in regions where proof of age isn’t provided. Noncompliance can result in fines, litigation, or loss of market access.

4. Streaming Services

Streaming platforms and gaming networks are under growing pressure to demonstrate they can restrict mature-rated content. Netflix uses customizable parental controls, while online gaming platforms are expected to expand safeguards around explicit or age-sensitive material. Regulators are increasingly clear that content gating must be evidence-based rather than relying on self-declared ages.

5. Gambling and Betting Websites

Gambling operators face some of the toughest verification requirements. Companies like DraftKings use document-based identity checks and biometric verification to ensure compliance. These measures protect both operators from penalties and users from the risks of underage gambling.

Why Traditional Age Verification Methods Fall Short

Many legacy age verification methods were built for compliance—not user experience. But as regulations evolve and privacy expectations rise, these outdated systems are showing their cracks. Here’s where traditional approaches often fall short:

• Invasive Data Collection: Requiring users to upload government IDs or other personal documents can create discomfort—and raise serious privacy concerns. Most users don’t want to share their full name, address, or date of birth just to prove they’re old enough to access a website.
• Data Breach Risks: Centralized systems that store sensitive user data become attractive targets for hackers. One breach can expose thousands—even millions—of people’s personal information, creating long-term damage for users and businesses alike.
• Lack of User Control: Traditional systems often force users to hand over more information than necessary. There’s little transparency or control over how that data is stored, shared, or deleted—leaving users vulnerable and businesses burdened with additional data protection responsibilities.
• Time-Consuming and Inconvenient: Manual checks, like uploading and verifying documents, slow down the user experience. For platforms that rely on fast onboarding or seamless engagement, this can lead to drop-offs and lost conversions.

These limitations highlight the need for a better way—one that protects minors, respects user privacy, and keeps friction low. The next section explores how privacy-first technologies are rising to meet that challenge.

Privacy-Preserving Age Verification Solutions

As concerns over data privacy and the risks of centralized age checks grow, a new model is gaining traction: privacy-preserving age verification. Instead of requiring platforms to collect and store sensitive personal details, these solutions allow users to prove their age without disclosing unnecessary information.

This shift is powered by decentralized identity technologies that move control away from central databases and into the hands of users. With this approach, individuals manage their own credentials and decide what to share, reducing both privacy risks and regulatory exposure for businesses. It aligns with stricter data protection laws in the U.S. and abroad, as well as global frameworks like GDPR and eIDAS.

Key technologies driving this approach include:

1. Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs)

ZKPs enable a user to prove they meet an age requirement—such as being over 18—without exposing their full birthdate or ID number. This cryptographic method allows platforms to confirm eligibility without holding sensitive data. Organizations such as ZKProof.org, backed by Microsoft and IBM, are working to bring ZKPs into real-world compliance applications.

2. Verifiable Credentials (VCs)

VCs are tamper-proof digital certificates issued by trusted entities such as governments or universities. Once issued, a VC can be reused across multiple platforms, eliminating the need to upload IDs repeatedly. This reduces data exposure and supports compliance with privacy regulations. The EU’s eIDAS 2.0 framework formally recognizes VCs as a tool for secure identity and age verification.

3. Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs)

DIDs are self-owned digital identifiers not tied to any central authority. Unlike traditional IDs such as Social Security numbers, DIDs are controlled entirely by the user. This lets individuals choose how, when, and with whom they share proof of age, avoiding unnecessary disclosure of full identity details.

4. Digital ID Wallets

Digital ID Wallets securely store and manage credentials such as age, name, and address. Their key advantage is selective disclosure—users can reveal only what’s required for a specific interaction. For example, instead of submitting a full ID, a wallet can confirm that a user is over 21 without revealing their exact birthdate, name, or address. The upcoming EU Digital Identity Wallet is being designed to let citizens carry verified age credentials and present them seamlessly across services.

The Rise of AI in Age Verification

As age verification laws grow stricter, many platforms have turned to AI-powered age estimation as a quick, scalable solution. These systems typically analyze facial features to estimate a user’s age—eliminating the need for documents or manual checks. While the technology offers speed and convenience, it also brings serious limitations that raise ethical, legal, and practical concerns.

• Accuracy Concerns: AI systems can misjudge a user’s age due to factors like race, lighting, camera quality, or facial expressions. These inconsistencies can result in unfair outcomes—denying access to those who qualify or allowing minors to slip through undetected.
• Vulnerability to Deepfakes: Facial recognition tools can be fooled by deepfakes, altered images, or video manipulation. Forbes has reported cases where deepfakes have successfully bypassed facial biometric systems in banking, underscoring the risk of relying solely on visual input for identity or age checks.
• User Acceptance and Trust: Many users feel uneasy about facial analysis, particularly when it involves biometric data. Public backlash over privacy concerns led Facebook to shut down its facial recognition system in 2021, reflecting a broader discomfort with these technologies.
• Compliance Gaps: Several jurisdictions now require robust, evidence-based age verification. AI estimation—especially when used without supporting documentation—often fails to meet these legal thresholds. In 2022, the Irish Data Protection Commission fined Meta €405 million for inadequate protection of minors’ data on Instagram. According to TechGDPR, nearly one-third of GDPR fines have involved mishandling children’s data, signaling growing scrutiny around age-related compliance.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Age Verification

The landscape of age verification is changing fast. With stricter laws, growing public concern, and mounting pressure on platforms to protect minors, businesses can no longer rely on outdated methods like basic age gates or document uploads. At the same time, AI-driven solutions—while promising—still raise concerns about fairness, accuracy, and regulatory compliance.

What’s needed is a shift toward privacy-preserving, user-centric solutions that give individuals control over their data and meet evolving legal standards. From zero-knowledge proofs to reusable digital credentials, the tools now exist to verify age securely—without compromising user trust.

The challenge now isn’t innovation—it’s implementation. Businesses that act early can build trust, stay ahead of regulation, and lead the future of digital compliance.

Identity.com’s User-Centric Solutions for Age Verification

Platforms offering age-restricted content or services need a reliable way to verify users’ ages—without collecting sensitive personal details or creating data liabilities. Identity.com provides user-centric tools that help you meet regulatory requirements while respecting user privacy and streamlining the verification process.

• Identity.com App: Our mobile app allows individuals to receive, store, and present Verifiable Credentials (VCs) that prove their age—without exposing unnecessary personal information. For platforms, this means you can confirm a user is over 18 or 21 without seeing their name, birthdate, or ID. And because these credentials are reusable, users don’t need to repeat the verification process each time they interact with a new service. Learn more about how the Identity.com App simplifies age verification.
• Gateway Protocol: For decentralized platforms and dApps, our Gateway Protocol provides on-chain age verification using Gateway Passes issued through Gatekeeper Networks. This system verifies eligibility based on age requirements—without ever storing or exposing users’ personal data. It’s a scalable, privacy-preserving solution designed for compliance and user trust.

Whether you’re a platform operator, app developer, or policy advocate, now is the time to implement privacy-first age verification—one that protects users and keeps you ahead of evolving regulations.