As children and teens spend increasing amounts of time online – socialising, gaming, watching videos and learning – protecting them from inappropriate or harmful content has become more urgent than ever. One solution being explored across the tech industry and policymaking spaces is age assurance – tools used to verify or estimate a user’s age to ensure they are only accessing age-appropriate content.

In the UK, age assurance is a core part of the Online Safety Act, which requires online services to adopt proportionate methods to prevent children from seeing harmful content or using adult-oriented platforms.

But how do these tools actually work? Are they effective? And crucially, what do parents and children themselves think about them?

A recent report by Internet Matters explores attitudes toward age assurance from both parents and children. The findings reveal strong support for the idea of age checks – but also differing expectations, concerns and preferences around how these systems should be implemented.

What is age assurance?

“Age assurance” is a broad term that covers any method a digital service uses to determine or estimate a person’s age. There are two main types:

• Age verification: This is when a platform directly confirms your age using official documentation or a trusted source (like a parent or government database).
• Age estimation: This uses indirect methods (like analysing behaviour or facial features in a selfie) to predict a user’s likely age.

The goal is to ensure that users under a certain age – usually under 13, 16 or 18 depending on the law or platform – don’t have access to unsuitable content, services, or features like online messaging with strangers.

Why is age assurance needed?

Despite platform rules, underage access is widespread. According to the Internet Matters report:

• 80% of 9–10-year-olds had used services with a 13+ age restriction.
• 40% of 11–13-year-olds used apps or platforms that required users to be 16+ or 18+.

Children are clearly bypassing existing self-declaration systems (where users just tick a box or type in a birth date). This has created mounting pressure for platforms to take more responsibility – and adopt stronger, smarter tools to determine who’s actually using their services.

How do parents and children feel about age checks?

The good news is that most people support the idea of age assurance, in principle. The survey found:

• 85% of children said they were comfortable with age checks online.
• 80% of parents said the same.
• 70% of parents believed age assurance should be required on platforms that host adult content or social media interactions.

Both groups agree that age checks could help create a safer digital environment – especially when it comes to reducing exposure to harmful content, managing contact with strangers, and protecting younger users from peer pressure to join apps before they’re ready.

Key differences in parent and child attitudes

Despite broad agreement on the value of age assurance, the Internet Matters study reveals notable differences between parents’ and children’s attitudes when you dig deeper:

1. Trust in platforms

Children tend to assume platforms have their best interests at heart – and often trust that any age checks will be fair and effective. Parents, however, are more sceptical – many worry about tech companies prioritising profits over safety, and want more oversight or regulation to ensure that age checks are meaningful, not just a tick-box exercise.

2. Data and privacy worries

Parents are more likely to be concerned about the privacy implications of age checks – particularly if they involve uploading ID documents or using biometric data like face scans. Children, in contrast, are often more relaxed about sharing data (or less aware of the risks), especially if it means quicker access to platforms or fewer restrictions.

3. Preference for methods

Parents tend to favour verification methods (like parent approval or ID-based systems) which offer more certainty and control. Children are more open to estimation methods – such as face scanning or behaviour analysis – because they feel less invasive and don’t require involving adults.

What types of age assurance tools exist?

Here’s a breakdown of the main methods being explored or already in use – and how parents and children feel about each one.

1. Parent/guardian verification

The parent verifies the child’s age, often by confirming their own identity and linking it to their child’s account.

• Pros: Gives parents oversight and control. Simple and trustworthy for younger children.
• Cons: Can be time-consuming or frustrating for busy families.
• Popularity: One of the most widely supported methods among both groups.

2. Official ID upload

The user uploads a government-issued document like a passport or driving licence.

• Pros: Very accurate and secure for confirming age.
• Cons: Not all children have IDs; privacy concerns; risk of data misuse or leaks.
• Popularity: Parents generally support this more than children, especially for platforms with high risk.

3. Biometric age estimation (e.g. facial scanning)

The platform estimates age using a selfie and AI analysis of facial features.

• Pros: Fast, frictionless, doesn’t require an ID. Used by platforms like Yoti.
• Cons: Raises privacy and bias concerns. Still evolving technology.
• Popularity: Children are more open to this than parents, especially teens.

4. Third-party digital ID services

Users verify their age through an external, trusted provider (e.g., Yoti, TrustElevate) and receive a digital age token they can use across platforms.

• Pros: Potential for wider acceptance, consistency, and privacy.
• Cons: Adds another step to sign-up; may confuse younger users.
• Popularity: Mixed – parents like the security, children like the convenience.

5. Behavioural signals

Platforms use passive signals (like typing speed, language use, or browsing behaviour) to infer age.

• Pros: Low effort for users; doesn’t require personal data.
• Cons: Not always accurate; may feel “creepy” or intrusive.
• Popularity: Least well understood; met with caution by both groups.

What do children worry about?

Children are often worried that age checks could:

• Block access to platforms they already use and enjoy.
• Create embarrassment if their age is challenged in front of friends.
• Lead to more surveillance or make them feel distrusted.
• Delay or complicate access to apps, games, or content

This makes it especially important to involve children in conversations about age assurance – not just impose it on them.

What are the priorities for parents?

Parents are clear about what they want from age assurance:

• It must be accurate: no more “tick-the-box” systems.
• It must be secure and private: no misuse of data.
• It must be fair and inclusive: accessible for children from all backgrounds, including those without passports or smartphones.
• It must be regulated: overseen by an independent authority, not left to tech companies alone.

How can parents and schools support children through this?

1. Talk about it early

Open up age-appropriate conversations about why age restrictions exist – not as punishment, but to protect children from content they might not be ready for emotionally or socially.

2. Reinforce that age limits aren’t arbitrary

Help children understand that age ratings aren’t just about “bad language” or “violence,” but about giving them time to develop resilience, judgement, and critical thinking.

3. Explore together

If a child is interested in a platform they’re technically too young for, explore it with them. Understand what draws them in, and look for safer alternatives together.

4. Advocate for thoughtful tech

Support tools and platforms that offer age-appropriate experiences rather than a “one-size-fits-all” model. Push for companies to invest in ethical, privacy-respecting age assurance systems.

5. Stay informed

Technology is evolving fast. Stay up to date with how platforms are handling age checks, and where necessary, use filters or parental tools to create safer digital environments.

The question of age assurance is complex. On one hand, it’s clear that self-declaration is no longer fit for purpose. Children are online earlier and more independently than ever. But on the other hand, any solution needs to be child-centred: respectful of children’s rights, realistic about their behaviours, and sensitive to their developing autonomy.

The Internet Matters report shows that both children and parents want safer online experiences – but they don’t always agree on the best way to achieve them. That’s not a problem – it’s the start of a conversation.

And that’s where parents and teachers come in. By staying informed, asking good questions, and being open with children, you can help shape not just how age assurance is implemented – but how it’s understood and accepted by the very people it’s meant to protect.