Technological advancements have made accessing services or privileges online easier, enhancing user experience. Children in today’s modern age have become sophisticated enough to effectively bypass traditional methods of age verification by online platforms and attain access to explicit content and age-restricted services or products.
To effectively counteract the distressing risks associated with minors’ access to explicit content and make the internet secure for underage individuals, many states in the US including California, Texas, Florida Utah, Arkansas, and Louisiana have established age verification laws. Compliance with these laws and regulations is made compulsory to prevent minors from the negative consequences of age-exclusive content or services which is daunting to cope with later.
Numerous jurisdictions globally are making efforts to restrict minors’ access to age-exclusive services or products and establish regulations with guidelines to counteract the rising threats. Businesses and online merchants are required to deploy effective age verification checks to accurately verify that services are being delivered to the right individuals and that underage children can’t attain access.
Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act
Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is a federal law established by the US government and effective from April 21, 2000, mandates businesses under the US jurisdictions to seek approval from parents before granting access to children under the age of 13. This law outlines guidelines for online website operators and what responsibilities they must fulfill during ID verification. COPPA mandates online content producers to develop a robust privacy policy deciphering the obligations that website operators would follow while allowing access to children under 13 and how to seek specific information from parents. Effective compliance with this law could safeguard minors from explicit content and online website operators to avoid hefty fines for non-compliance. In case of any violation of COPPA, the violating entity would be obligated to pay up to $50,120 in civil penalties.
Protection of Young Persons Act
The Protection of Young Persons Act deployed by Germany mandates age-restricted industries including, alcohol & tobacco merchants and online gaming sites to establish age verification checks. Although, this law doesn’t outline the accurate methods for effective age verification but mandates ag-exclusive industries to restrict minors from accessing their services & products. The law outlines a regulatory framework obligating online merchants to precisely verify the age of users preventing minors from accessing services that are harmful to them.
Age verification scams have substantially surged in the technological world, where children use others’ information to bypass traditional methods of age verification such as age gating where basic information like name and age are asked to confirm the identity. To address the rising threats, jurisdictions globally are establishing age verification regulations and mandating businesses to show effective compliance.
Online Safety Bill
Online Safety Bill established by the United Kingdom is an age verification regulation that mandates entities producing content to protect minors as well as adults from the harmful consequences of explicit content. The laws aim to make the internet safe to use and mandate digital platforms to be vigilant while authenticating users. The ‘Online Safety Bill’ mandates, online service providers who authorize users to encounter digital content, search engine providers who allow users to use multiple search engines or sites to conduct research, and adult content producers.
The law obligates online service providers to remove explicit content from the sites, prevent minors from accessing age-exclusive content, deploy effective age verification systems, and seek approval from parents while allowing access to underage children.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
General Data Protection Regulation is a broad data protection law in the European Union that outlines a provision for accurate age verification to prevent underage from accessing age-exclusive content. Article 8 of GDPR indicates circumstances under which a child’s consent is compulsory while processing their verifiable information. The article focuses on implementing effective age checks to accurately verify the identity of users to ward off fake identities. In addition, the law obligates to minimize data collection and acquire only specific data which is essential in effective age verification. The careful consideration of users’s privacy rights and accurate age verification are the main motives behind the development of the certain provision in the law.
Why Compliance with Age Verification Laws & Regulations is Compulsory?
Compliance with age verification laws & regulations safeguards minors from the negative consequences of explicit content and ensures that they are accessing age-appropriate services or products. Additionally, effective compliance facilitates the maintenance of trust and confidence in digital platforms and preserves the integrity of Internet services. Deploying robust age verification systems raises a sense of trust in parents, indicating that their children are watching safe content and are protected from age-exclusive services. Compliance with these laws helps businesses avoid hefty fines and penalties that they could face for any violation of the laws. Last but not least, adherence to age verification regulations reveals businesses’ strong commitment to making the digital world safe and secure for minors.