Digital age-restricted industries like tobacco, alcohol, and gambling are the sites that should not allow minors access to them. According to a study, the number of children using online platforms is constantly increasing. Minors also become victims of identity thefts more than adults. This requires monitoring their activities on a regular basis. While it is not possible to monitor minors all the time during their internet usage, digital platforms are liable to restrict minors from websites where they can become victims of online fraud. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) designed age verification to protect minors from exposure to age-exclusive products.
Age-restricted industries when used to operate in the real world, did not allow underage individuals to enter the place. Verification in physical places is done by checking the ID document of consumers. Any user that does not fall within the age threshold, is not allowed to become part of the place. While identifying individuals offline is a simple and easy task, restricting minors from age-exclusive goods is tricky in an online world. But thanks to the availability of age verification solutions, now businesses can protect their content from underage individuals.
Age-Verification Solution For Age-Restricted Industries
Compliance professionals designed age verification rules for businesses to abide by. Any age-exclusive industry that wants to sustain itself in the market must follow this compliance otherwise they would not be allowed to have an online space selling prohibited products.
- Alcohol Industries
Industries that sell alcohol, tobacco are also morally and ethically liable to protect minors from consuming these products. Many countries have banned the use of alcohol completely. Other countries that allowed alcohol consumption legal, have developed strict laws as individuals of which age groups can consume it. Anything available to a region but is limited by the authorities obviously attracts the attention of the ones that are considered illegal for its use. The same thing happens with the restriction of alcohol. With the authorities making 22-year-olds and above eligible for alcohol, individuals under age 22 crave its consumption. To get whatever you want, individuals break the laws by lying about their age. The lie that they tell because of their innocence must be caught by the companies who sell such products. They cannot label individuals just by looking at the face of the consumer of which age they belong, rather they require authentic verification systems to fulfill the process. Age checks help websites to verify the age of users.
- Online Gambling
Gambling is the process of wagering something of value in order to win something valuable. Online players play gambling for fun or to make instant money. They do gambling in the hope to win the games whose outcomes are determined by chance. Merchants of gambling sites reported that there is an exponential increase seen in the number of gamblers in recent years. While it is a source of entertainment to adults, minors can hugely be impacted by it. It can negatively influence the psychology of minors and it might make them gamblers for life as well. Therefore, the responsibility falls on website owners to verify the age of players at the time of onboarding.
Benefits of Age Verification to Minors
Age-restricted websites are professionally and ethically responsible for protecting underage individuals from any content that may affect them mentally and emotionally. There are websites that design material for children that is helpful for their mental and physical well-being. But minors do not stay limited to such content. They, compelled by their nature, want to access everything available on the internet which ultimately is unfavourable for them.
Responsible age-exclusive companies practice age verification laws to protect minors from becoming a victim to identity thefts. Exercising these regulations also saves children from getting into any activity that will negatively influence their minds.
Policymakers also benefit by complying with the rules. Minors when face cyberbullying or identity thefts, along with affecting themselves they become a trouble for the age-restricted industries as well. Companies that sell age-exclusive products face hefty penalties and fines by the regulatory authority if they are caught lacking proper compliance regulations.
Conclusion
Age verification solutions are helpful for businesses that sell age-exclusive products like alcohol, tobacco, and online gambling to restrict minors from getting exposed to them. Age-restricted industries have to comply with regulations to secure minors from getting negatively affected and to protect themselves from experiencing any unfortunate event in the name of penalties.
