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Age assurance

Age assurance is the overall process that proves the age of a user for various purposes, including access to a game, app, or content within an app. Depending on the jurisdiction and how risky the feature is that you want to verify age for, different methods can apply.

What's age assurance?​

Age assurance is a legal and regulatory concept that refers to the process of verifying or estimating a user's age to ensure compliance with age-related regulations. Different jurisdictions and regulations require different levels of age assurance depending on:

  • The type of content or service being accessed
  • The age thresholds being enforced
  • The risk level of the activity

Age verification compared to age estimation​

Age assurance can be achieved through different methods:

  • Age verification: Verifying age through documentation or trusted methods (ID documents, credit cards)
  • Age estimation: Estimating age through technology (facial age estimation)

The appropriate method depends on the jurisdiction and the level of assurance required. Some jurisdictions require strict verification, while others allow estimation.

When's age assurance required?​

Age assurance is required when:

  • A player enters an age that would be considered an adult or teen in jurisdictions that require age assurance
  • Accessing age-restricted content or features
  • Meeting regulatory requirements for parental consent
  • Complying with platform policies

The ageAssuranceRequired field returned from the /age-gate/get-requirements API indicates whether age assurance is required for players in the current jurisdiction.

Age assurance methods​

k-ID provides multiple methods for age assurance:

  • Facial Age Estimation: Privacy-preserving age estimation using a device's camera
  • ID Document Verification: Government-issued ID verification
  • AgeKey: A reusable and anonymous age-proof generated after an initial verification process
  • Credit Card Verification: Age verification through credit card validation (for trusted adult verification)
  • Social Security Number Verification: Age verification using SSN (United States only)
  • ConnectID: Australia's digital identity exchange

The specific methods available depend on the jurisdiction and your product configuration in the Compliance Studio. For more information, see Verification Methods.

Age assurance workflow​

The age assurance workflow typically involves:

  1. Age collection: Collecting an age signal from the user (date of birth, age estimation)
  2. Requirement check: Determining if age assurance is required based on jurisdiction and age
  3. Verification: If required, presenting verification methods to the user
  4. Result processing: Processing the verification result and updating permissions accordingly

For more information on implementing age assurance, see Age Assurance in the API documentation.