Online Age Verification – Increasing Cautions for Children on AO Platforms

Restricted industries such as alcohol, tobacco, and various others are moving their operations online. While this helps them assist more customers remotely, it is also increasing minors’ vulnerability. They use their parents’ credentials for making online payments and steering clear identification checks. Furthermore, the ease of access to restricted platforms increases the risk of developing life-threatening addictions. 

To safeguard minors from consuming adult products, restricted industries need to bring in efficient age verification solutions. Amid changing regulatory landscape, industries need to enhance security during customer onboarding. Therefore, simple document validation, usernames/passwords, and checkboxes are no more reliable. Hence, to comply with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), developing efficient KYCC checks is a liability.

Existing Conventional Age Checks are Not Reliable 

It was easier for stores offering restrictions to identify whether the buyer is above or below 18 years during physical purchases. With digitisation and the rapid shift of operations online, verifying the age of customers has become challenging. Minors take advantage of inadequate customer authentication checks and make illicit purchases by using their parents’ details without consent. Furthermore, lax age verification mechanisms including date of birth validation, checkboxes, and puzzles further aid in clearing ways for children.

Considering the easy access to children, industries such as online liquor and tobacco stores need more advanced and reliable IDV methods to verify age of online buyers. The AI-powered identification tools enable restricted industries to place necessary prevention for minors. Furthermore, by integrating biometrics such as facial recognition and liveness detection, online age verification solutions enhance accuracy of liquor e-stores. Mathematical algorithms restrict minors’ access as these are impossible to bypass.

The liquor industry is subject to specific legal requirements put forth by regulatory bodies. Age Appropriate Design Code (Children’s Code) and Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), UK’s Children Code, and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are the most prominent. As per the KYCC standards, it is prohibited to facilitate customers under 18 years. If restricted industries fail to stay put with legal standards they can face hefty non-compliance of around £5000.

Online Age Verification Services – Efficient Measures for Minors’ Protection 

E-stores offering adult products including tobacco, liquor, and content retailers are liable to build efficient age checks. While minors can easily trick conventional identification methods, upgrading digital onboarding mechanisms is the key to restricting their access. Restricted industries’ shift to online services is, however, making this process cumbersome. 

 

The considerable growth of AO industries is grasping the attention of children as well who were unable to buy liquor or tobacco products easily before. Therefore, age verification solutions are the need of the hour for e-stores. Moreover, restricted industries need to take the following preventive actions to protect children and assist legitimate customers.

Online Information Verification

In order to overcome minors' vulnerability, the foremost step in identifying and restricting them is the collection of Personally Identifiable Information (PII). While manual methods are prone to data discrepancies, age verification online services are taking over as more efficient IDV measures. 

With their advanced tools such as facial recognition, liveness detection, and document authentication, AI-powered age verification solutions better safeguard restricted industries. During registration and placing an order, the system asks for a real-time selfie to ensure the presence of customers. Furthermore, it also helps in identifying whether the buyers are under or over 18 years. 

Customer Authentication on Delivery

Age verification upon delivery is another precautionary measure to protect minors from consuming addictive products. For restricted industries offering liquor and tobacco products, this serves as an additional layer of prevention. Furthermore, deploying AI-powered age checks eliminates the need for a third party such as shipping or courier services to verify customers. 

Use of AI-Powered IDV Services

AI-powered age verification solutions are becoming popular among restricted industries as they are more reliable, easy to integrate, and accurate. During an online purchase of liquor, tobacco, or other adult products, e-stores can ask for PII, analyse facial features, and cross-match identities with documents. This way, restricted industries can ensure they are facilitating under-aged buyers. Ultimately, online stores can also stay put with KYCC compliance. 

In the End 

Legal standards oblige restricted industries to verify age of customers before completing their online orders. In order to cope with minors’ sophisticated attempts, e-stores need to establish more advanced and efficient digital onboarding mechanisms. Furthermore, restricted industries can limit access to children without increasing inconvenience for legitimate buyers. Online age verification solutions deploy biometric and real-time presence checks to draw a line between minors and adults. Hence, integrating KYCC compliance solutions enable restricted industries to ensure children’s protection without losing their integrity.