Safeguarding Minors in the Gaming Industry with a Digital Age Verification System

They must limit age-sensitive content and provide a reliable age verification system. The gaming business has had a meteoric rise since the Covid-19 epidemic. The overall number of online gamers is expect to reach 1.2 billion by 2025. Around 20% of gamers are under the age of 18, indicating that gaming holds a strong appeal for youngsters. Parents are concerned about an increase in the likelihood of their children accessing age-restricted gaming content. They have less time to supervise children\’s activities.

It is on to game designers to take responsibility. Verifying the age of players, particularly youngsters, is now a legal necessity.

Online age verification solutions that have been around for a long time

It is not a novel concept to use age checks to safeguard youngsters. To meet their legal requirements, gaming platforms conduct numerous sorts of age checks. Gamers specify their age by manually inputting their date of birth. They check the \”I am 18 or older\” box in other situations. This method of verification only works if the users provide accurate information.

These age gates are still in use since they are simple to install and do not necessitate the use of any third-party software. However, this technique is prone to identity theft and heavily relies on the gamer\’s morality. According to a report by the Javelin research organization, the number of kids who used a false identity to get access to age-restricted content has topped 1 million. Manual age checks give insufficient security, thus gaming platforms must do more. Using a digital age verification method is a superior choice (AVS). 

What is the Digital Age Verification System?

An age verification solution is a digital tool that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to verify an individual\’s age in real-time.

These approaches are difficult to avoid and offer more security than manual inspections.

What is the principle of AVS?

The system takes the following stages to provide a reliable and effective authentication procedure when the user enters their personal information, such as age.

  • The user takes a photo of their identification document, such as their ID card, passport, or driver\’s license.
  • Data (age) is extracted from documents using OCR technology.
  • The data is compared to the age that the user first gave. The user is confirmed if the match is successful; else, the user is not.
  • Verifying the age of players, particularly youngsters, is now a legal necessity.
  • If a user isn\’t confirmed, they won\’t be able to view the material.

Using Digital Age Verification to Protect Kids

Using sophisticated age checks to limit access to age-restricted content can protect kids from the following dangers.

Thoughts and Actions that are Aggressive

Diverse audiences require different game designs. Modern games frequently use profane and filthy language, encourage illegal activity, and so forth. Because they include negative themes, such games are not appropriate for minors. Violence and sexuality-themed games have been shown in studies to make youngsters angry and provoke bad sentiments.

Social skills deficits

Social development is an important aspect of human development that guarantees good interpersonal connections. According to studies, spending too much time playing video games reduces one\’s social abilities while dealing with others. It is considerably more harmful to kids who are still developing.

Grades that are lower

Computer games have been shown in studies to have a negative impact on children\’s academic achievement. Children who spend more than one-hour playing video games may find it difficult to achieve decent marks.

Gaming platforms can use the AVS system to avoid the repercussions of viewing age-restricted material.

AVS System Limitations and Criticism

Artificial intelligence-based AVS systems have some drawbacks. The AVS system, like manual age checks that required honesty when inputting age, requires users to produce identity papers with honesty. By presenting their parents\’ identification credentials, children can avoid AVS inspections. Parents, on the other hand, find it simpler to conceal their identification documents than to keep an eye on their children when they play video games. AVS systems are undoubtedly in need of refinement, but they do provide greater age protection than traditional-age checks.

To Wrap it up

Minors have been lured to the gaming industry\’s recent rise. Minors have easy access to pornographic content on the internet. It is now the responsibility of gaming platforms to transition from old methods of age verification to more modern AI-based age verification systems. These are more dependable and efficient, ensuring that children are protected from accessing age-restrict content.


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