Online services increasingly need to decide who can access particular content, features and experiences. The methods range from a simple date-of-birth question to document checks and AI-based age estimation, with different implications for privacy, accuracy and access. Ageline explains how these systems work, what they can establish and how regulators describe their responsibilities.
Self-declaration, document checks and AI age estimation approach the age question in three different ways: asking users to state their age, examining evidence of identity or date of birth.
The UK's Age Appropriate Design Code, also called the Children's Code, sets out 15 standards for online services likely to be accessed by children.
A date-of-birth field asks users to report their age; it does not independently establish that the answer is accurate.
Apple and Google Play use different systems to describe the age suitability of apps, and their labels are not interchangeable.
An 18+ AI companion platform needs to decide what age its service requires, what level of confidence is appropriate and how that decision affects access to its features.
Device-level parental controls help families manage app downloads, screen time, age-rated content and certain device activities.