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• Traditional age verification methods, like self-declared birthdates, are becoming outdated.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

As regulations tighten, it’s important to distinguish between two commonly used terms: age verification and age assurance.  Though they sound similar, they reflect different approaches to checking a user’s age—and not all methods meet today’s legal standards.

Age verification is the stricter of the two. It typically requires confirming a user’s exact age through trusted sources—such as a government-issued ID, a credit card check, or biometric analysis. These methods are often mandated in tightly regulated industries like gambling, adult content, or alcohol sales, where proof of age is essential.

Age assurance, on the other hand, is a broader and more flexible approach. It doesn’t necessarily confirm a specific age, but estimates whether someone is likely to fall within an acceptable age range. This can involve AI-powered facial age estimation, behavioral cues, or simple self-declaration (like entering a birthdate or checking a box).

The key difference is certainty and compliance. Age verification offers a higher level of confidence and is required where legal proof is non-negotiable. Age assurance is more about minimizing risk in settings where an estimate may be enough.

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 content, others extend to alcohol, tobacco, and app downloads.

Below is a summary of states with enacted laws:

• Louisiana: Requires ID verification for accessing adult content and mandates age 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 online.
• 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 these laws vary in scope, the overall direction is clear: U.S. states are steadily moving toward enforceable, proof-based age verification standards. For ongoing updates, the Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA) offers a comprehensive tracker for businesses and policymakers.

Industries Impacted By Age Verification Laws

Stricter age verification laws are reshaping how businesses operate online—especially in sectors where age restrictions are legally enforced. As regulations spread, companies offering sensitive products or content must move quickly to adapt. Below are key industries currently navigating these changes:

1. E-commerce (Alcohol and Tobacco Sales)

Online retailers selling age-restricted goods like alcohol and tobacco must implement robust age checks to prevent underage purchases. While brick-and-mortar stores verify age in person, digital platforms face the challenge of doing so remotely.

Drizly offers a strong example. To stay compliant, it introduced ID verification at checkout and again during delivery. When Uber acquired Drizly in 2021, the service was folded into Uber Eats—further cementing age verification as a core part of alcohol delivery compliance.

2. Social Media Platforms

Social platforms are increasingly under pressure to shield minors from harmful content. In 2024, Instagram launched “Teen Accounts” with stricter protections for users aged 13–17, reflecting a broader push to verify user age and improve safety.

Concerns around cyberbullying, exposure to adult content, and mental health have made age verification a focal point for lawmakers. Platforms are now expected to apply more accurate, privacy-conscious methods to confirm users’ ages and enforce age-appropriate experiences.

3. Adult Content Websites

Websites that host adult content are required by law in many jurisdictions to implement strict age verification. In response to new regulations, platforms like Pornhub have restricted access in states like Louisiana and Utah, where ID verification is now mandatory. These sites must ensure that minors cannot gain access—failure to comply may result in legal consequences or site bans.

4. Streaming Services

Streaming platforms must ensure age-appropriate access to mature-rated content. While less strictly regulated than adult sites, they’re still expected to implement age safeguards.

Netflix, for instance, uses age ratings and customizable parental controls to help families manage access. These systems allow users to limit content by profile, reinforcing responsible viewing. Similar expectations now apply to online gaming platforms with mature or explicit content.

5. Gambling and Betting Websites

Online gambling platforms are subject to some of the most rigorous verification requirements. Operators like DraftKings use document-based identity checks, including ID scanning and biometric verification, to ensure users meet the legal age threshold. These checks are essential not just for compliance, but also to protect users and prevent 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 grow around data privacy and the risks of centralized age checks, a new approach is gaining momentum: privacy-preserving age verification. Rather than collecting and storing sensitive personal details, this model allows users to confirm their age without oversharing information.

Enabling this new approach are decentralized identity technologies that replace traditional databases with user-held credentials. Instead of relying on platforms to manage and protect personal data, users retain control over what they share—and with whom. This not only reduces privacy risks but also helps businesses stay compliant with stricter data protection laws.

Here are several key technologies driving this approach:

1. Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs)

ZKPs allow users to prove they meet a requirement—like being over 18—without revealing any additional information, such as their full birthdate or ID number. This allows platforms to verify age without collecting excessive personal data. Organizations like ZKProof.org, supported by Microsoft and IBM, are working to bring ZKPs into real-world compliance use cases.

2. Verifiable Credentials (VCs)

VCs are tamper-proof digital credentials issued by trusted entities (such as governments or academic institutions). Once issued, users can reuse them across platforms to prove age—without repeatedly uploading documents or exposing personal data. This supports data minimization and eliminates the need for centralized storage. The EU’s eIDAS 2.0 framework officially recognizes VCs for secure identity and age verification.

3. Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs)

DIDs are self-owned, digital identifiers that aren’t tied to a central authority. Unlike traditional identifiers (like Social Security numbers), DIDs are controlled by the individual, not a third party. They enable users to decide when, how, and with whom they share proof of age—without handing over full identity details.

4. Digital ID Wallets

Digital ID Wallets are secure applications that store and manage personal credentials such as age, name, and address. What makes them unique is their ability to support selective disclosure—allowing users to share only the specific information required for a particular interaction. For instance, instead of submitting a full ID, a user can simply prove they’re over 21 without revealing their exact birthdate, name, or address. The EU Digital Identity Wallet, for example, is being designed to let citizens store verified age credentials and use them seamlessly across different 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 that offer age-restricted content or services need a 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.
• 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.