Social Platforms
Age assurance for user-generated content platforms — meet regulatory requirements under the UK Online Safety Act, EU DSA, and Australian Online Safety Act with low-friction verification.
What You Need to Comply With
- UK Online Safety Act — requires platforms hosting user-generated content to implement highly effective age assurance to prevent children from accessing content that is harmful to them. Ofcom's guidance sets expectations for what constitutes "highly effective" age verification.
- EU Digital Services Act — requires very large online platforms (VLOPs) to assess systemic risks to minors and implement appropriate mitigation measures, including age-appropriate design and access controls.
- Australian Online Safety Act — introduces age assurance requirements for social media platforms, with the government exploring mandatory age verification for certain services.
Recommended Verification Flow
- User age gates — age_only — the primary flow for social platforms. Lowest friction: face estimation and liveness detection without an ID document. Ideal for verifying users are 13+ or 18+ depending on your platform's age requirements.
- Content creator verification — full_age — for platforms where content creators access monetization or adult-content features, full_age provides ID-based verification for stronger assurance.
Most social platforms embed age_only at signup or when a user attempts to access age-restricted features (e.g., mature content communities, livestreaming, direct messaging).
Data Handling
All verification data is stored and processed within the EU (Germany). Client-side biometric processing means face detection, liveness analysis, and age estimation run in the user's browser — raw biometric data is never sent to servers.
This minimal data collection approach aligns with children's privacy principles and data protection regulations that require platforms to avoid collecting more data than necessary, especially from younger users.
Retention & Evidence
Age-only verifications expire after 1 year with annual renewal. When a verification expires, the user can be prompted to re-verify. Expired data is cleaned up per GDPR data minimization requirements.
Verification results and audit logs can be exported via the API to demonstrate compliance with regulatory obligations.
Integration
Embed age assurance at the appropriate point in your user journey:
- At signup for platforms with minimum age requirements
- When accessing age-restricted features (mature content, livestreaming)
- Listen for
ae:completeto unlock the user's account or feature access - Use
/v1/verify/:externalId/verifiedto gate features on subsequent sessions
Integration takes hours, not weeks. See the quick start guide and embed documentation.
Which Plan Fits
Social platforms with large user bases typically need the Scale or Business plan depending on verification volume. The per-verification pricing model scales with your user growth.
See pricing for full plan details.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How does age verification affect user acquisition and engagement?
- The age_only flow completes in under 60 seconds without requiring an ID document, which minimizes signup abandonment. Users estimated at 25 or older are auto-approved instantly. For most social platforms, the majority of legitimate adult users clear verification without manual review.
- How does AgeEvidence support children's privacy principles?
- Biometric processing runs entirely client-side in the user's browser. Raw face data is never transmitted to servers. Only the verification result (age estimate, liveness scores) and the recorded video are sent to EU servers. This data-minimal approach aligns with children's privacy frameworks that require avoiding unnecessary data collection about minors.
- What is the timeline for complying with the UK Online Safety Act?
- Ofcom's codes of practice are being phased in, with age assurance requirements among the key obligations for platforms hosting user-generated content. Platforms should implement age assurance proactively rather than waiting for enforcement action. AgeEvidence can be integrated in hours, allowing platforms to demonstrate compliance readiness.