#age-verification

#age-verification

In the past few years, governments across the world have rolled out different digital identification options, and now there are efforts encouraging online companies to implement identity and age verification requirements with digital ID in mind. This blog is the third in a short series that explains digital ID and the pending use case of age verification. Here, we cover alternative frameworks on age controls, updates on parental controls, and the importance of digital privacy in an increasingly hostile climate politically.

Recently, several U.S. states passed laws requiring strong age verification for adult content online. Now, lawmakers in Wisconsin and Michigan are pushing the envelope even further. Not only do their new bills demand age checks-they require adult content sites to block access from any VPN provider, for any user, not just minors. On Security Now, Steve Gibson explained that these bills stem from concerns that residents are using VPNs to evade new state-level restrictions by appearing to connect from somewhere else.

The regulator Ofcom investigated Itai Tech Ltd, which provides AI tools allowing users to edit images to seemingly remove someone's clothing. On Thursday, Ofcom said it had fined the company 50,000 for its age check failings, plus an additional 5,000 for not responding to its information requests. BBC News has contacted Itai Tech Ltd for comment. The nudity website it runs is currently not accessible from a UK IP address.

The law, which threatens social media platforms with a fine of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($31.95m) for noncompliance, is one of the world's toughest regulations targeting Big Tech. In addition to Snapchat, the ban currently applies to YouTube, X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, Twitch and Kick. In a statement on Saturday, Snapchat said users will be able to verify their age through the ConnectID application, which links to their bank accounts, or by using software owned by Singapore-headquartered age-assurance provider, k-ID.

Malaysia plans to ban social media for users under the age of 16 starting from next year, joining a growing list of countries choosing to limit access to digital platforms due to concerns about child safety. Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said on Sunday the government was reviewing mechanisms used to impose age restrictions for social media use in Australia and other nations, citing a need to protect youths from online harms such as cyberbullying, financial scams and child sexual abuse.

From December 10, 2025, all users in Australia under 16 years of age will have their accounts locked. If you are under 16, you will not be able to maintain or create a Snapchat account. If you have an existing Snapchat account, we encourage you to download your data as soon as possible. You can scan your government-issued identification card and our third-party service provider, k-ID, will scan and validate your ID document and age.

Twitch will no longer allow Australians under 16 to create accounts starting December 10, a Twitch spokesperson told TechCrunch. Existing accounts for users under 16 will be deactivated on January 9. Globally, Twitch is open to users 13 and older, and anyone under the legal age of adulthood in their region must have a parent or guardian involved, the spokesperson said.

The law requires platforms to use "commercially reasonable methods," which it says include a screen that prompts the user to enter a birth date. However, NetChoice argues that Virginia could go beyond this requirement, citing a post from Governor Youngkin on X, stating "platforms must verify age," potentially referring to stricter methods, like having users submit a government ID or other personal information.

The Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) said descriptions for the products on the Shein website "make it difficult to doubt the child pornographic nature of the content." The French daily newspaper Le Parisien said the product in question an 80 centimeter (30 inch) tall doll holding a teddy bear was accompanied by an explicitly sexual description on the Shein website. The consumer watchdog said it had turned the case over to prosecutors.

The law mandates that device operating systems and app stores require users to enter their age or date of birth when setting up a new phone or computer. The new rules are slated to take effect on January 1st, 2027, and for devices set up prior to that date, the OS provider - like Apple or Google - must come up with a way for users to enter their ages by July 1st that year.

As reported by Android Central, Instagram's updated user detection process will automatically limit interactions with certain accounts when it determines that the user is under 18, even if the user tries to lie about their age by listing an adult birth date. In Australia, for example, which is moving ahead with its own laws on teen social media access, regulators recently tested 60 different age verification approaches , from a range of vendors.

A New York law could require social media platforms to implement age verification. On Monday, New York Attorney General Letitia James released the proposed rules for the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) For Kids Act, which would force platforms to confirm that someone is over 18 before allowing them to access an algorithm-driven feed or nighttime notifications. New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the SAFE For Kids Act into law last year as part of efforts to "protect the mental health of children."