How Mandatory Age Verification Systems Restrict Global Internet Access

• Age verification laws, often framed as child protection, inadvertently create barriers that exclude millions of people without official identification from the internet.
• These systems threaten fundamental rights to information access and freedom of expression while requiring invasive mass data collection.

The Global Access Problem

• Approximately 850 million people globally lack government-issued identity documents, largely in low- and middle-income countries.
• Vulnerable populations, including women, rural residents, and stateless groups like the Rohingya and Kuwait’s Bidoon, are disproportionately affected.
• Even in developed nations like the U.S. and U.K., millions of citizens lack the specific documents—such as passports or driver's licenses—required to verify their age online.

Legislative Trends

• Australia: Prohibits individuals under 16 from holding social media accounts.
• United Kingdom: Implemented the Online Safety Act requiring age checks for platforms with content deemed harmful to those under 18.
• United States: Over half of the states have enacted various age verification requirements.
• European Union: Expert reports recommend banning users under 13 from social media and mandating age verification.

Implications and Advocacy

• Age verification technology is often inaccurate and privacy-invasive, moving society toward a model of internet-wide age-gating.
• Critics, including the EFF, argue these laws undermine the universality of the internet and perpetuate existing offline marginalization into the digital sphere.
• Efforts are currently underway to push back against these mandates to protect user privacy and ensure open, equal access to digital public discourse.