Common Sense Media shared a survey in 2022 that stated that almost 42% of the kids in the United States get their first mobile phone by the age of 10. With a vast amount of children having access to unlimited content on the internet, age verification has become an integral tool for ensuring a safe and protected online experience.
Moreover, organizations have to comply with age restriction laws. Failure to do so shall probably result in legal actions further denigrating the company’s reputation. Henceforth, it’s imperative to ascertain online age verification before allowing people access to services.
Now that we have highlighted the main idea behind online age verification, it’s important to expound upon its importance and need in today’s time.
Protecting Minors From Inappropriate Content
The internet unfortunately contains content that might be deemed inappropriate for certain ages. The probability of coming across disturbing violence and pornographic material is significantly high in today’s world. Moreover, exposure to alcohol, tobacco, and gambling sites might exploit a lack of impulse control. In this predicament, an age verification system can surely act as a gatekeeper. It can regulate access to such harmful sites over the internet and ensure the protection of minors.
Diminishing Negative Impacts of Exposure
When people are exposed to harmful content online it can negatively impact their minds, especially young children. Witnessing hate speech and radicalization content can disparage a young person’s psychology and fill their mind with intolerance. Moreover, other harmful content can often lead to post-traumatic stress disorder. Age verification online tools, for instance, would require under-age people to prove that they are of legal age. This step would effectively curb the route to any gambling or pornographic site. Hence, decreasing negative impacts.
Preventing Fraud and Identity Theft
Recent times have witnessed an unprecedented increase in online fraud. There is no doubt that phishing scams and identity theft have kept business owners and normal working-day people on high alert. Moreover, financial scams are not just restricted to organizations, minors often become the victims of such scams. Therefore, age verification security measures have become more relevant than ever. They not only verify user identity but also diminish the risk of financial losses. By protecting personal information vis-a-vis strict and robust measures, it can ensure that fraud and identity theft are limited.
Enabling Targeted Advertising
Age-specific marketing campaigns aim to customize messages related to products and services. This method ensures that relevant information is provided to people that cater to their needs and wants. Age verification tools, in this case, verify a user’s age. For instance, a child will probably see an ad related to an educational game, meanwhile, a teenager will encounter advertisements related to strategy games. Another example that can be used in this case is streaming services like Netflix which often utilizes age verification to prevent children from accessing violent movies or shows, while the adults have the option to view them.
Understanding Customer Base
Age verification assists organizations in segmenting their customers about their relevant ages. It gives them insights into how the customer is behaving and what are his preferences. Moreover, the data can be used to predict potential buying behaviors in the future. This ensures that the organization can create products that are tailored to the needs of the customer for their relevant age, ultimately leading to higher revenues.
Challenges and Considerations; Forging the Way Forward
Age verification is not a smooth process. It has its fair share of challenges that need to be tackled effectively and efficiently. For instance, checking government IDs might appear to be a simple process but it can be complicated. Users often lack proper documentation which poses a security challenge and leads to age verification scams.
Moreover, people often report false information when it comes to their age. This causes a breach of public security. And when too much personal data is collected for verification to prevent false information, it raises privacy concerns. Let us try to explain this via an example. If a social media platform requires a credit card for age verification, it might discourage young people from entering the market, meanwhile, using only the birthdate could increase vulnerability and lead to manipulation.
Therefore, a multifaceted approach is needed to offer the best results. Age verification could be made more secure by incorporating a layered verification approach. Using knowledge-based questions, analyzing device data (like browser history), and facial recognition to voice analysis can be used to ensure compliance with the regulations.
Concluding Remarks
Conclusively, the digital realm offers a lot of opportunities. But it also presents certain dangers for young people. In this scenario, age verification acts as a safeguard by restricting access to harmful content online and cultivating a safer environment for minors. While challenges like privacy and accuracy exist, organizations need to promulgate transparency to ensure a secure user experience.
