What are age verification systems?

Age verification systems are used to restrict a user’s access to digital content and online services if they are not of the appropriate age. 

Age verification systems are primarily used to restrict access to content that has been deemed to be inappropriate for underage users, such as video games that contain adult content, or websites that sell alcohol or tobacco.

Why is age verification important?                         

Age verification is vital for any business that sells a product or provides a service that has a minimum age requirement, such as an online casino.

By verifying the age of your customers before they access your site, you can build trust and prevent identity theft and synthetic fraud. On top of this, age verification systems can also help you protect the younger generation from any adverse effects that may be caused by them accessing age-restricted goods and services.

As a business owner, you have the corporate social responsibility to restrict a minor’s access to your goods and services. Similarly, an age verification system can also be used to help your business remain compliant with online privacy laws that regulate the collection of personal information from minors (such as COPPA in the United States).

The purpose of age verification

If you’re a merchant of an age-restricted product, then you have a responsibility to only sell your goods and services to someone who is of legal age. By employing the use of an age verification system, you can limit underage access to products and services. But, as well as stopping minors from accessing unsuitable services, the system can also help reduce chargebacks and non-consenting transactions. You can also make sure your business stays compliant with the latest regulations.

Importance of age verification for websites

Age verification is just as important online as it is in a physical store. In person, a shopkeeper in an alcohol or tobacco store can ask an individual to present an ID and prove that they’re of legal age to buy the product. Online, the process is slightly more difficult. However, the same minor protection rules apply to digital businesses.

It’s clear that asking a customer for a username and password is insufficient when providing access to an age-restricted product or service. After all, this information may have been compromised, or a customer’s child may have accessed the site from pre-saved information.

Thankfully, biometric technology and other intelligent solutions can be used for age verification for websites. These methods can be used to show that the person is of legal age and is exactly who they’re claiming to be.

By employing the use of an age verification system for your website, you can make sure that only people who are legally allowed to access your product or service can open gated content. You can also make sure that your business is meeting global age verification regulations.

If your website fails to accurately verify the age of the people visiting your site, then you face a number of risks, including:

• Compromising your reputation in the market
• Heavy fines linked to non-compliance
• Financial loss linked to non-consenting transactions, chargebacks, and friendly fraud

How to prevent users from bypassing age verification

If an age verification system for a website is not comprehensive enough, users will figure out how to bypass the system.

For example, a recent study from the European Commission found that although many social media apps do have age verification processes in place, these are largely ineffective and children of all ages can bypass them by simply lying about their age. Once they’ve done this, they can then be exposed to privacy and safety threats such as cyberbullying and online grooming. They can also be exposed to content that may be inappropriate for their age.

To prevent users from bypassing age verification, you need to have a robust verification mechanism in place. This should rely on biometric authentication and should ensure that the session is live and that the ID has not been tampered with.

To make the process as robust as possible, your system should also include ongoing authentication. This way, you can ensure that it’s always the same person who is attempting to access your products, services, or content.

Why trust Veriff with age verification?

Our identity verification platform is the most comprehensive in the world. We value the security of your business and your customers above all else.

That’s why we provide global coverage and support more than 10,000 documents from around the globe. This means it’s easy for your customers to prove who they are and simple for your business to verify their identity.

We’ve also made it as simple as possible for honest customers to access your goods and services. Our verification system is streamlined, and the guided user flow increases user retention and acceptance rates, ensuring your customers are verified quickly and easily.

On top of this, we use a multi-vector approach to authenticate the identity of a returning user. As well as stopping anyone from using an ID that is not their own to gain access to the gated content or products in the first instance, our biometric authentication solution ensures that it’s always the same person who is returning to your website.

Speak with the age verification product experts at Veriff

Here at Veriff, we can help your business comply with regulators, keep your platform protected from liability, and ensure your business maintains brand integrity. With our solution, you can make sure your customers are who they say they are, and that they’re of an appropriate age to view your products and services.

To discover more about how our age verification system can help your business, speak to our experts today. Or, to get an idea of how much age verification could cost you, take a look at our pricing plans.