Age Verification for Creator Platforms: Tools, Compliance & Best Practices

Is your creator platform secure enough? Modern age verification systems are great tools protecting identity theft and frauds. It prioritizes privacy, data security, and user rights. 

When you embed an age verification system, it’s crucial to balance user convenience with security. Whether you’re going for a document or biometric verification, a seamless customer experience is non-negotiable.

This blog covers everything from reasons, best practices, and popular tools for the age verification process. 

So, let’s get started!

Why Creator Platforms Need Age Verification Systems?

With a creator-economy-led boom, several platforms are competing for their sacred space. Monetisation and engagement opportunities have laid the groundwork for authentic creator-fan relationships.  Amidst ownership and creative freedom, privacy is still a gruelling concern. 

Age verification systems safeguard platform security in the following ways:

• Legal and Regulatory Compliance

Regulations like COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) and GDPR (for EU) prioritise children’s online privacy. Hence, they mandate age verification while processing their data. Creator platforms need to integrate age verification to avoid legal repercussions and penalties.

• Prevent Minors from Inappropriate Content

Creator platforms often host explicit content, violence, and hate speech. Exposing minors to such inappropriate content negatively influences their mental health. Adding age verification restricts them from content access. Thus, you can build a safe environment for all.

• Build Trust and Credibility

Implementing age verification mechanisms demonstrates your platform’s commitment to safety. Further, this fosters a sense of trust and improves your brand perception.

• Prevent Fraud and Identity Theft Incidents 

Age and identity verification methods act as gatekeepers for unauthorised access. Users are expected to upload government-issued documents to join the platform. This reduces fraudulent activities and scams.

7 Age Verification Best Practices for Creator Platforms

Planning to add age verification into your creator platform? 

Whether it’s compliance or security measures, you need a successful age verification.

Here are 7 best practices to follow for age verification systems:

1. Implement Data Encryption Methods

The privacy of data collected has been a definite concern for age verification systems. From government IDs to selfie verification, all involve handling sensitive information. These include confidential data like name, date of birth, contact details, etc.

How do you best assure your data is in safe hands? Choose a third-party age verification tool that’s SOC2 or with some other security certification.

Data encryption is critical for creating a secure age verification process. You must ensure that the collected data is secure both in transit and at rest. For this, you must encrypt the data with HTTPS, which is more secure than its HTTP counterpart. 

Moreover, the age verification system must store data with encryption keys, such as AES-256. While no system is completely secure, these measures level up the security.

Utilise advanced techniques such as zero-knowledge proofs or blockchain-based verification. Here, you can verify your age without revealing your date of birth or other personal details.

Lastly, create strong access and role management control for preventing unauthorised access. 

2. Use a Tiered Verification Approach

If you require greater accuracy during verification, a single verification method is insufficient. Adopt a multi-layered verification approach. With multiple levels of check, you reduce the chances of fraudsters bypassing your system.

Include document verification, biometric analysis, and database checks to create an impenetrable system.

For example, here’s how you can build a tiered verification approach.

• Tier 1: Self-Declaration with Age Gates

Age-gates with “I confirm that I’m over 21” have been long used for adult and other content platforms. Zero-friction age gates could be your first level of verification.

• Tier 2: Document Verification (Government-issued ID + selfie check)

Next, add a more reliable verification mechanism, such as document verification. This is one of the more prominent verification mechanisms in the adult industry. Choose a third-party verification provider that authenticates government-issued documents like a passport or driver’s license. You could combine it with a selfie check.

• Tier 3: Biometric or KYC Provider Verification

The last step is using a dynamic one. This might involve biometric verification or KYC verification services.  Jumio, Veriff, Yoti, or Persona are some platforms for KYC compliance.

3. Implement Fraud Detection Systems

Fraudulent practices are one of the reasons identity verification systems were introduced. From creating deep-fake personas or spinning identities, generative AI has made bypassing systems easier.

Implementing fraud detection systems creates a more robust verification system. 

Ever come across websites that ask you to hold a paper with a specific code? 

Well, that’s a way to detect if you are actually present online. Perhaps, what’s called a liveliness detection test. 

Fraud detection mechanisms for creator platforms are:

• Facial recognition
• Liveliness check with specific gestures, such as reading text or holding a piece of paper with code.
• AI-Powered ID Scan Validation (AI for verifying authenticity of documents)
• IP and Device Fingerprinting (Using IP Address, hardware or software characteristics for unique “digital fingerprint” )

These typically utilise advanced technologies, such as OCR and machine learning, to detect tampered documents.

4. Ensure Legal and Regulatory Compliance 

Legal compliance is one of the reasons for adding an age verification system. However, legal and regulatory laws change worldwide. 

While COPPA may be relevant for the US, you must adhere to the Online Safety Bill if you’re in the UK.

So, find out the rules that work for your land. Verify the country and state laws for age-appropriate verification.

Listed below are region-wise privacy laws:

• US

Child safety is a primary concern for businesses in the US. COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) mandates websites to ask parental consent before collecting information for children under 13 years. Besides, there are some state-specific laws. 

The Age-Appropriate Design Code (AADC) adopted by California ensures an age-appropriate design for websites. Additionally, House Bills 1181 and House Bills 18 are relevant for Texas.

• UK 

Like California, the AADC is a key privacy law for the UK. The Online Safety Bill is another 250-page behemoth bill protecting users from harmful content. From end-to-end encryption to content monitoring, the law introduces a higher level of censorship.

• EU

There’s no separate age verification law in the EU; it’s covered in the GDPR. It’s referred to as GDPR-K, where K stands for “Kids.” However, the law varies across the EU. 

The minimum age for giving valid consent is different. While 16 is the threshold age, for Germany and Italy it drops to 14. And for France, Spain, and the Netherlands, it’s somewhere in between, like 15.

5. Prioritise Data Security & User Experience

Imagine a user registers and goes through an extensive onboarding process. Starting with manual data entry, document upload, selfie check and more. This can lead to increased drop-off rates midway. 

With shorter attention spans, people look forward to intuitive and quick processes. Often, users have to enter personal information multiple times. And redundancy weighs down the overall user experience!

Technical know-how is another challenge in the age verification process. Some users may not be adept with technology often required for uploading and scanning documents. 

Here’s how to balance user experience with security:

• Collect only the essential data for verification or parental consent
• Design user-friendly and intuitive verification 
• Use ready-to-use APIs and SDKs that easily fit into your workflow
• Implement best industry practices to secure and store collected data

Use modern age verification tools that balance security with seamless user experience.

6. Include Parental Gateways for Minors

Ever heard of parental controls like content filtering and website blocking? You might be familiar with TikTok’s family pairing or YouTube Kids’ time limit feature. They all strive to recreate one thing — a safe environment for children.

If your platform involves minors, parental gateways could be a great tool. It protects children from inappropriate content and creates an ideal digital environment.

Below are a few parental controls to add in your creator platform:

• Age gates 
• Parental consent flows like email verification, credit card checks, etc
• Content Filtering
• Age-appropriate UI compliant with CORPA, GDPR, etc.
• Activity monitoring
• Third-party tools like Qustodio, Net Nanny, Bark, etc. 

This ensures your platform is appropriate for all age groups, including teenagers and children above 13+ years.

7. Ongoing Improvement and Adaptation

As your platform grows, you need to scale your verification process. Probably, offer multiple verification methods or focus on mobile-first design. 

Ensure users can seamlessly complete the verification process on smaller screens. You can even employ cloud-based solutions to tackle the peak traffic needs and downtime.

With AI, online verification is for a digital transformation. Modern verification methods like liveliness detection are more reliable and flexible. Stay updated with the latest developments in technology and the legal arena. 

Lastly, evaluate the user behaviour and pass rates and tweak necessary changes. 

Popular Age Verification Software

Looking for the right age verification solution for your business? There are different verification solution providers with unique features.

Here’s a quick comparison of verification tools:

Age Verification Software	Verification Methods	Pros
Ondato	Face matching, liveliness check, AI-powered ID verification, document verification,	Age verification, fraud detection, AML/KYC compliance
Jumio	Real-time ID verification + selfie check, liveliness detection, human-in-the-loop reviews	KYC, AML & BSA  compliance, data tagging, geographic coverage, ID support, and Expired ID support
Sumsub	ID Document verification, AI Facial recognition, AML modules	Multi-layered age verification, fraud detection, compliance & reporting
Veriff	Video-based verification, facial age estimation,	Global coverage,  easy-to-scale, quick setup, KYC/AML compliance
Yoti	Real-time facial age scan, optional ID document upload,	Digital ID wallet, fraud detection, third-party data checks,secure data storage, compliance
VerifyMyAge	ID Verification, credit card checks, AI-powered age estimation	Compliance, Fraud detection, easy integration, stealth age confirmation,

Common Mistakes While Integrating Age Verification Systems

Integrating an age verification system into your platform is challenging. 

Avoid these common mistakes for successfully age verification system:

• Ignoring User Experience 

Creating lengthy and redundant verification processes can lead to confusion. Simplify the user experience by balancing user experience with security.

• Relying on Outdated Verification Methods

Age-gates and manual checks are vulnerable and prone to errors. Such verification methods are easy to bypass; choose modern verification methods instead.

• Neglecting Compliance Laws

Age verification compliance laws vary across countries. Businesses need to comply with requirements of the law to avoid any legal complications.

• Poor Error Handling and Logging Mechanism

Critical oversights in error handling can make troubleshooting all the more difficult. Instead, provide clear mechanisms for handling network errors, invalid inputs, & API failures.

• Ignoring Security Best Practices

Businesses often overlook security while implementing verification methods. This can expose confidential information collected during the process. Adopt HTTPS, OAuth protocol, and multi-layer verification. 

Wrapping Up

A robust age verification system provides compliance and security. Every creator platform strives to build a safe environment for its users. 

And age verification systems bring you a step closer to achieving this goal. Prioritise user experience while designing a robust verification process.  Integrate verification methods as per your business needs, instead of blindly adding multiple methods.

While your final aim is building a strong and user-friendly verification process, it can’t be achieved overnight. Experiment with different verification methods and see what works best! And along with the best practices, avoid the common pitfalls for a seamless verification process.

FAQ-Related to Age Verification Best Practices for Creator Platforms

1. What is age verification software?

Age verification software is a set of technologies and tools for verifying one’s age. It is essential for restricting underage individuals from accessing websites and platforms. Such systems are prevalent in adult-restricted websites, online gambling services, and e-commerce. 

2. Which is a commercially reasonable age verification method?

Age verification methods involving government-issued documents provide a level of certainty. These are typically a combination of age estimation and document verification. Also, they are cost-effective and easy to implement. 

3. What are the different age verification methods?

Common age-verification methods include:

• Self-Declaration
• Document-Verification (Govt-issued ID and selfie check)
• Biometric Verification (Facial recognition)
• Credit-card and Mobile Check
• Third-Party Database Verification

4. Which are popular software programs for age verification?

VerifyMyAge, Ondato, Jumio, Sumsub, Veriff are some popular age verification software. They use document verification and biometric checks to verify users’ age.

5. What are the steps to integrate the age verification system process?

Following are the steps to add age verification system to creator platform:

• Identify business and compliance needs
• Choose a verification method
• Identify the right identity verification provider
• Adding the verification system into the workflow
• Testing and optimising the functionality
• Ensure legal & regulatory compliance