In the adult sector, robust age assurance, comprised of age verification and age estimation methods, is critical to ensuring legal compliance with ever-evolving regulations, safeguarding minors from inappropriate content and protecting the privacy of adults wishing to view adult content. However, traditional age verification methods often involve significant friction, which can result in reduced revenue for the site as well as deter users, leading them to seek less reputable alternatives with no age assurance methods in place. The challenge for sites looking to protect their business therefore lies in implementing age assurance methods that are both effective and provide a seamless user experience.
This article explores the need for minimal friction in age assurance, and how age estimation techniques based on user behavior or AI can achieve this. We will delve into how adult sites can implement methods that reduce friction and thereby vastly improve user experience and reduce drop-off rates.
Minimizing friction makes it more likely that users will complete the verification process and stay engaged with your platform.
User Experience Is Paramount
In the highly competitive adult sector, user experience is a critical factor for success. Users expect a smooth, hassle-free journey from the moment they land on a website. Any barriers, such as lengthy age verification processes, can lead to frustration and abandonment. Requiring users to find an ID document and upload a clear photo to access their desired site — assuming they possess an ID document in the first place — is likely to cause hesitation. A more frictionless experience is needed to ensure that users stay engaged and retention rates remain high.
In addition to utilizing low-friction methods, it is important that adult sites empower their users with choice by offering a comprehensive, fully inclusive range of methods that cater to individual needs. These principles are crucial to successful age verification and will help to ensure high pass rates and revenue protection.
While compliance with age verification laws is nonnegotiable, it should not come at the expense of user satisfaction. Adult sites need to find a balance where they can effectively establish a user’s age without imposing cumbersome processes on their users. Fortunately, this balance is achievable with the right technology.
Leveraging Behavioral or AI-based Age Estimation Techniques
Behavioral or AI-based age estimation techniques, such as age estimation using email address or facial age estimation, offer low-friction yet highly accurate alternatives to more traditional methods of age verification.
Age estimation using an email address can be entirely frictionless. With this method, an email address can be submitted “in stealth” directly by a platform via an API, or a user can input it manually. If provided in stealth, checks can be performed seamlessly in the background without any further interaction required from the user, making the solution entirely free of friction.
Additionally, online users are typically very familiar with sharing their email address in everyday online interactions; for example when creating an account to access content online. Coupled with close to 100% coverage amongst web users, the method is highly accessible.
The Benefits of Minimizing Friction
By implementing age assurance processes in this manner, adult sites can undertake age estimation with minimal impact on the user journey. Removing this friction avoids potential drops in conversion and, in turn, minimizes business disruption. Among the benefits are:
- Increased user retention: By minimizing friction, users are more likely to complete the verification process and stay engaged with your platform. This leads to higher retention rates and increased customer loyalty.
- Enhanced user trust: Providing a smooth and unobtrusive experience that respects a user’s time enhances trust and positions your brand as user-centric.
- Regulatory compliance: AI-led age estimation techniques incorporate privacy-by-design principles and are designed to comply with regulatory requirements. By implementing these innovative methods, you can ensure that you meet legal obligations and avoid hefty fines, without compromising on user experience.
The Future of Age Assurance
The need for minimal friction in age assurance technology is clear, and technology continues to evolve and refine methods to provide the most frictionless, accurate and privacy-preserving experience possible. In the adult sector, where user experience is crucial, adopting AI-led age estimation techniques offers a promising and highly accurate solution, creating a seamless process that enhances both user satisfaction and compliance.
Gavin Worrall is VP of Global Strategic Partnerships at VerifyMy, a safety technology provider with a vision to provide solutions that safeguard children and society online. Spanning age assurance, identity verification, content moderation and consent management, VerifyMy seeks to offer frictionless, trustworthy solutions for online platforms to maintain their integrity, protect their reputation and safeguard their users. He can be reached at sales@verifymy.io.
