As part of our ongoing collaboration with Internet Matters, we recently hosted a webinar focused on one of the most important recent developments in online safety: the rollout of age checks across online platforms.
The background
Under the UK’s Online Safety Act, sites and apps that host or publish pornography must implement highly effective age checks to prevent children from accessing age-inappropriate content online. July 25th – informally known across the sector as “AV Day” – marked a key turning point in this effort as enforcement began across the UK. But with further developments now emerging in other regions around the world, it’s clear this conversation is going global.
The panel
To help unpack what this all means for families, platforms, and providers, we brought together a brilliant panel of experts:
- Andy Lulham, Chief Operating Officer, Verifymy (moderator)
- Carolyn Bunting MBE, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Internet Matters
- Laura Higgins, Senior Director of Community Safety & Civility, Roblox
- Iain Corby, Executive Director, Age Verification Providers Association
Together, they tackled key questions, including:
- What changes have children and parents noticed post-AV Day?
- How are platforms like Roblox implementing age checks in practice?
- Are users raising concerns, and how are they being reassured around privacy?
- Are workarounds like VPNs undermining enforcement?
- What does age assurance look like outside the UK, from the US to the EU?
- What role can age assurance play in enabling safer, age-appropriate online experiences? And what else can be done?
- How do we build trust and educate parents on what’s really changing?
The session also featured research insights from Internet Matters, highlighting how parents perceive online age checks and how trust and transparency around privacy are critical to public understanding and adoption.
You can watch the webinar here:
The takeouts
- Age assurance is here, and it’s global. For platforms to effectively protect their younger users, they must first understand their age or age range to provide safer, age-appropriate experiences.
- The technology is being widely adopted, with clear evidence that it is effective, privacy-preserving, and viable at scale.
- Age assurance is not identity verification. While ID documents are one available method, they are not necessary to prove age. Alternative highly effective, low-friction and certified solutions exist, such as email-based age estimation. This method, invented by Verifymy, requires only an email address – no ID, no face scans, and no unnecessary data collection.
- This is a space where continued education, clarity, and collaboration will be essential. As platforms, regulators, and families adjust to new norms, we all have a role to play in making these changes understandable, trustworthy, and impactful.
- Age assurance is not a silver bullet; it’s just one piece of the trust and safety puzzle. A holistic approach is required to provide truly safe and age-appropriate experiences for children.
If you’re looking for privacy-preserving, effective age assurance solutions, get in touch. We’d love to chat.
