How Veriff is safeguarding children online

The online world offers huge advantages in terms of improved access to goods and services. However, with greater convenience comes greater risk, especially for vulnerable groups.

For example, a survey by Common Sense Media of US teens aged 13 to 17 found that 54% had seen online pornography before the age of 13*. And, according to UK regulator Ofcom, a third of children in the UK aged between 8 and 17 have a false social media age of 18+.** 

However, the issue doesn’t end there. As well as social media, children are at risk when using everything from delivery services and gaming platforms to online shopping sites and mobility companies. And this problem is exacerbated with different countries or states having vastly differing age requirements for access to services.

Without proper checks, underage users can be exposed to explicit content, given access to inappropriate goods such as alcohol and tobacco, and be targeted by scammers and malicious actors.

Mediating access effectively is therefore vital. Here’s how Veriff’s age verification solutions safeguard children online.

1. Operating in an online world

Manual visual checks for age, or those that use a smaller data set or less sophisticated algorithm, can create bias that locks out legitimate customers or allows underage users access to inappropriate goods or services.

Our Age Validation check automates the process, by taking the date of birth from the ID document and auto declining those that are calculated to be younger than the age threshold set by the organization.

2. Veriff is inclusive

Users under the age of 18 often don’t possess an approved or supported identity document such as a passport or government-issued ID card. This can make it impossible to pass age-related checks, even for content such as a PG-13 film or a teen-rated game.

Veriff’s Age Estimation solution enables these users to gain access only to those goods and services that are appropriate for their age using their selfie.

Meanwhile, our simple user interface supports 48 unique languages and dialects, from Arabic to Vietnamese, making it simple for young users to follow the step-by-step instructions and get verified quickly.

3. Veriff makes it easy

Veriff’s Age Estimation solution minimizes friction, encouraging legitimate users to confirm their age honestly rather than resorting to fake or borrowed documents. The user simply takes a quick selfie, which is analyzed via machine-learning technology to provide an estimated age in seconds.

Assisted Image Capture offers real-time tips and feedback to guide the user in case of any issues while taking the photo. Liveness and fraud checks are also performed in real time so genuine users can be instantly approved.

4. Veriff is safe

Given frequent high-profile security breaches, users are understandably concerned about providing government ID document to online providers. Children are quite rightly advised to be wary of sharing their data online, however, this can prevent them from accessing perfectly legitimate goods and services. Age Estimation facilitates a privacy-first approach, enabling users to confirm their age without having to share their identity documents.

5. Veriff stops bad actors

While young people can seem very tech savvy, their limited life experience makes them far more vulnerable to fraudulent and criminal activity online.

Veriff’s identity verification (IDV) solutions block access for adults looking to access platforms or services designed for minors through a combination of liveness detection, face blocklisting, device fingerprinting and dynamic fraud checks, keeping them away from children and young people.

*https://www.ofcom.org.uk/news-centre/2022/a-third-of-children-have-false-social-media-age-of-18

**https://www.commonsensemedia.org/kids-action/articles/teens-are-watching-pornography-and-its-time-to-talk-about-it