Paving Roads to Minor Protection
Entering the 21st century, the world has undergone major technology innovations; like online Age Verification the internet is one of them. In the early 2000s, people were not much familiar with the term internet. But now from adults to teenagers and even minors, everyone has access to the internet in one way or another. This has created an alarming situation for the parents since children these days now can easily surf through the web and access adult content. Though online platforms have age checks in place, AI-powered online age verification is the need of the hour.
‘Act your age’ No more applicable
Children these days have open access to smartphones, tabs and laptops. With just a few clicks they can open whatever they want. 24/7 parental supervision is something that can’t be achieved in today’s world. And with no proper age checks in place, minors are making their accounts on age-restricted sites and accessing mature content online. Providing fake information to create a profile is not a big deal. Majority of the children present themselves older than 18 years. And due to inefficient age verification scanners, they can easily surpass the checks.
According to a report, more than 450,000 children tend to place bets regularly. Not to forget these children fall under the age bracket of 11 to 16 years. In most countries, gambling is illegal. Though in casinos the security physically checks for the gambler’s ID before allowing them to enter so in that case children can be restricted. However, in the case of digital gambling platforms, a simple “I’m 18 years old” checkbox isn’t enough. An adequate age match method is essential to verify the true age of the user and that’s where online age verification comes in place.
The working of online Age Verification Solution
Digital age verification solution works on the principle of Identity verification that requires the user to digitally submit his government-issued valid identity card and live selfie. Based on the principles of artificial intelligence, the age check solution firstly validates the ID documents and checks for any forged or fake information. Once the document is validated, the system automatically extracts the date of birth of the user and calculates the age. If the age of the individuals falls under the client-defined age bracket only then they are allowed to create profiles or access the site.
Moreover, these age verification solutions match the user’s face with the picture on the document to ensure that only the real person is providing the proof of age and no one else.
Age verification making social media secure
The exposure of children to adult sites such as dating sites, gambling platforms, and social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram is a golden opportunity for cybercriminals and paedophiles to target minors and fulfil their malicious intents. Due to the presence of kids on social platforms, child identity theft is rising. To make a profile on these social sites, an email account is what a user needs. Rest of the information can either be fake or real doesn’t matter, because there’s no proper age matching technique hence encouraging minors to actively register on these sites and explore age-restricted content.
With age verification in place, users will be required to prove their age first in order to make a profile and perform any activity. Not just the platforms but even the adult products and services can be secured and only authorised people can be allowed access to use or purchase them.
ID verification through online age checks
Online age checks are itself a comprehensive way to verify an individual’s identity. As identity frauds such as account takeover, new account frauds are rising, businesses are under threat. Since the age verification solution incorporates the verification of user face and identity documents, they can be used for identity verification of individuals as well. Online age verification confirms the user age and identity in a fraction of seconds. Therefore, it is an ideal method to detect fraudsters in real-time and secure businesses from imposters.
Online age verification is vital to not only preserve the children’s privacy but also to protect them from cyberbullies and fraudsters. Moreover, to ensure the good mental health of minors, it is essential to restrict them from accessing the dark side of the internet.