Browsing the internet and using social media has become almost second nature for teenagers aged 14 to 16. However, this ease of access brings growing challenges — from exposure to inappropriate content to risks associated with interacting with algorithms and digital platforms.
While headlines often focus on social media, the debate around age verification goes far beyond it. It is a cross-sector challenge that affects gaming platforms, financial services, crypto applications, and any online environment where ensuring responsible access is essential.
In other words, the conversation may start with social media, but the need for age assurance extends across the entire digital ecosystem. The key lies in designing age verification processes that are robust, proportionate, and auditable — capable of protecting young users without compromising their digital privacy.
Age Verification as a Regulatory Priority in a Global Context
The recent announcement by the Spanish government on the protection of minors has once again placed age verification at the center of the debate. But this is not just a local issue: pressure on digital platforms to ensure safe access for minors crosses borders and industries.
Different regulatory frameworks and international bodies are already shaping clear and converging trends:
- Spain has proposed raising the minimum age of digital consent to 16, aligning with the European Digital Services Act (DSA) and recommendations from the European Parliament, which promote reliable and proportionate verification mechanisms.
- European Union: the European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet) project aims to establish a harmonized age assurance standard based on verifiable and traceable credentials, minimizing personal data exposure and fostering interoperability across services.
- France has advanced age verification regulation as a structural mechanism for protecting minors. Through the Digital Space Security and Regulation Law (SREN, 2024), mandatory technical verification requirements have been introduced for explicit content websites accessible from the country, incorporating “double anonymity” standards, regulatory oversight by ARCOM, and penalties for non-compliance.
- Australia has implemented a flexible framework requiring platforms to apply “reasonable measures” to prevent minors from accessing social media, without mandating a single verification method. This includes technologies ranging from age estimation to attribute-based verification, always guided by proportionality and privacy principles.
- International organizations such as the OECD and UNICEF have emphasized the need for a coherent global approach that combines child protection, proportional oversight, and digital privacy, aligning local practices with international standards.
The debate is no longer about whether age verification is necessary, but about how to implement it effectively, securely, and in a way that is consistent with regulatory requirements. International regulation is converging toward systems that are auditable, proportionate, and scalable — capable of protecting minors without compromising digital experience or the privacy of all users.
The Real Technical Challenge: Proportionality and Data Minimization
The key to implementing age assurance lies in designing mechanisms that are proportionate to risk and respect data minimization — one of the core principles of the GDPR and other major international data protection frameworks, including the UK GDPR, Australia’s privacy legislation, and the guidelines of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
- Age as an attribute: It does not always require full identity verification. Only the specific data necessary to comply with regulation or a service’s internal policy should be verified.
- Risk-based proportionality: Not all services involve the same level of exposure or legal consequences. A streaming platform may require a different level of verification than an online gambling platform involving real-money bets.
- Attribute-based verification vs. full identity: Modern systems allow users to prove they meet the minimum age requirement without collecting unnecessary identifying data, reducing the risk of data exposure or cross-platform profiling.
Under this approach, verification becomes a critical layer within the digital identity architecture, integrated into authentication and access control flows.
Privacy-First Age Assurance
When we talk about privacy-first age assurance, we are not referring to a specific technology, but to a design framework that defines how digital services can comply with age regulations without compromising user privacy.
A privacy-first model should meet five key principles:
- Proportionality: The level of verification is aligned with the risk profile of the service.
- Data minimization: Only the information strictly necessary to prove age is processed.
- Anti-fraud security: It incorporates controls against identity spoofing, presentation attacks, deepfakes, and other forms of digital manipulation.
- Traceability: Processes are auditable and demonstrable to regulators or internal compliance teams.
- Regulatory interoperability: Verification integrates with KYC, AML, and sector-specific regulatory frameworks where applicable, avoiding isolated or incompatible solutions.
This approach shifts the debate away from a specific technology and toward system governance, demonstrating that verification can be effective, responsible, and scalable.
Use Cases in Regulated Sectors
Facephi’s experience in identity verification and global compliance demonstrates how age assurance can be robustly integrated into digital architecture — going far beyond a simple filtering layer:
Crypto Platforms
- Compliance with KYC and AML obligations.
- Financial risk management and prevention of underage access.
- Age verification integrated into the onboarding process, combining document OCR and facial biometrics to ensure that only authorized users access services while reducing fraud risk.
Gambling & Gaming
- Minimum age as a legal requirement and protection for vulnerable users.
- Fast and accurate verification process: users scan their ID document and take a selfie, with data validation and facial comparison powered by Deep Learning models.
- Optional integration with government databases for even more reliable verification.
Key Benefits of Facephi’s Solution
- Advanced security: Real-time fraud and identity spoofing detection.
- Regulatory compliance: Ensures alignment with local and international regulations.
- Process optimization: Reduces operational costs compared to manual verification.
- Seamless user experience: Fast, frictionless age assurance.
- Traceability and auditability: Every step is verifiable for regulators and internal audits.
In both cases, age assurance cannot be treated as a superficial add-on. It must be embedded into the design of the digital identity flow, strengthening trust and regulatory compliance from the outset.
Toward a Responsible Global Standard
The debate around minimum age requirements and effective verification has now expanded globally. The trend points toward auditable, scalable, and attribute-based systems that enable organizations to:
- Comply with local and international regulations.
- Minimize the risk of exposure of sensitive data.
- Ensure interoperability and regulatory consistency.
This is where Facephi’s global expertise becomes particularly relevant. With solutions designed to integrate across regulated sectors — from gaming and betting platforms to financial and crypto services — Facephi delivers age verification frameworks that combine technical robustness, traceability, and respect for digital privacy. This enables platforms to demonstrate compliance, manage risk, and ensure that minors access only appropriate digital environments.