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Executive Summary
The policy landscape surrounding digital age verification is rapidly evolving as concerns grow over children’s online safety, privacy, and security. Existing legislative frameworks, such as the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), have proved outdated and ineffective in addressing modern challenges. In response, policymakers in the United States are increasingly pushing for stronger digital age verification laws, driven by concerns over minors’ access to harmful content and the limitations of previous regulatory approaches.
Technological advancements in cryptography, artificial intelligence, and biometrics now enable secure and privacy-preserving age verification systems. These innovations allow users to confirm their age without disclosing sensitive personal data, thereby maintaining anonymity and reducing the risk of data breaches. Implementing age verification at the operating system (OS) and app store (AS) levels presents the most effective and user-friendly approach, streamlining compliance while minimizing costs for smaller firms.
Critics of digital age verification often cite risks to privacy, anonymity, and economic feasibility. However, modern verification technologies address these concerns by eliminating the need for centralized data storage and offering decentralized, secure solutions. Policymakers seeking to implement age verification requirements can leverage technological progress to develop systems that balance child safety with user privacy. While this paper does not advocate for new age verification mandates per se, it does show why policy debates about age verification should be informed by the latest advancements and not be hobbled by outdated assumptions that privacy and security are inherently at odds.
