As people are starting to move online on different digital platforms, age-restricted products and services require robust regulations. Most times underage people surfing the internet cross paths with illegal substances and without proper attention or care, it could lead to stolen information of the person.
Nowadays, an entire generation of children is using their parent’s smartphones without their consent. This, however, helps minors to easily bypass old methods of age verification that simply require them to enter if they are 18 years old or younger.
It’s becoming evident that these sort of age verification methods are ineffective to stop minors from accessing age-restricted goods or services. Therefore, it led organizations into paying heavy fines or penalties that could ultimately shut down their business – if caught selling to minors. So, in this case, what businesses can do to ensure their security?
By integrating AI-powered age verification solutions, retailers can verify their customers’ age using ID verification, facial recognition, or biometrics authentication. Various industries can prevent minors from accessing or purchasing their age-restricted products or services by integrating an effective verification solution into their mobile devices.
There are six industries that have stepped up their identity authentication to meet regulatory requirements. In this context, onboarding legitimate customers through new methods of age verification can provide users with a seamless experience.
Pharmaceuticals
Some minors with a drug habit could access online pharmacies that could pose a major risk if they don’t properly vet their customers while onboarding. It could eventually destroy the repute of a pharmacy operating online because some regulatory bodies are managing their records. Therefore, it’s important for online pharmacies to properly verify the age of their customers and ensure they have reached legal age. With AI-powered age verification checks, online pharmacies can identify underage children in real-time. Moreover, it would help meet these organizations with regulations of their respective countries.
Alcohol and Tobacco
According to government regulation, sales of alcohol and tobacco products to minors are illegal. Therefore, these industries are heavily regulated around the globe. The FDA in the US prohibits the sale of cigarettes to underage children. These laws are similar for either physical vendors or online merchants that sell these substances on an almost daily basis. So, it’s vital for online stores to integrate stronger verification methods, so someone under a legal age can’t buy their products.
Online Gaming
Some researches have shown that children are most attracted to online gaming platforms. They also develop habits of excessive gaming that takes away their social life. Gaming industries are known to take advantage of such habits and ensure their audience is completely hooked on these games. In the online gaming world, it’s often not common for children to talk with strangers that easily trap them in a scam or even cyberbullying. But most countries allow children to access different gaming platforms by simply submitting the payment details. Most often, children’s identity or credit card information gets stolen by fraudsters on these gaming platforms. Therefore, it’s important for gaming companies to integrate an AI-powered online age verification to secure minors and meet regulatory requirements.
Gambling
Minors are an easy target for fraudsters on different gambling platforms. Such problems should be adequately addressed to regulate online gambling platforms. Although online betting is quite regulated, it’s up to the online gambling service providers to take the verification services seriously.
Weapons
Anything as simple as a kitchen knife or hammer would constitute a weapon if it’s in possession of a minor. As children could often cause unfortunate incidents without thinking twice, digital platforms have to take verification methods more seriously. Online businesses selling such items have to implement stronger age verification methods to prevent their sales to minors. On one hand, it could come out as news that will quickly evaporate the repute of an online store. While, on the other hand, it could impose heavy fines or penalties if stores don’t comply with the regulations.
Dating Services
Criminals or fraudsters could easily steal someone’s identity from a dating platform such as apps or websites. Most times, the fraudsters and victims are using the same platforms such as Tinder or Grindr. Regulators are getting increasingly concerned about criminal activities on dating platforms and require business owners to integrate proper age verification methods.
Countries and businesses are adopting more stringent regulations that are vital to prevent sales of age-restricted products or services to underage customers. Although, by doing this businesses might be able to avoid any legal backlash and eventually generate a good repute for their brand. Therefore, AI-powered online age verification methods are important to satisfy customers and secure the digital environment.