Many online companies rely on age verification software to verify their visitors’ identities and comply with legal regulations. In this article, you will find out what age verification software is, how it works, and why it’s so important for businesses online.

How Does Online Age Verification Work?

Online businesses use age verification to confirm the identity and age of their customers. In most cases, users are required to input personal information, such as their names, addresses, and dates of birth. This information is then cross-referenced with external databases to validate the user input. To further confirm someone’s age and identity, some age verification software uses facial recognition or government-issued identification.

Age Verification Software For Online Businesses

Online businesses need age verification software to protect minors from accessing age-restricted content. If a company doesn’t verify its customers’ ages correctly, it can lose its reputation and suffer legal consequences. Besides preventing fraudulent activity, age verification software also makes sure businesses don’t sell age-restricted products to people who aren’t legally eligible.

Age Verification And Your Merchant Account

Using age verification software isn’t just about protecting minors and complying with legal regulations; it’s also about keeping your merchant account running. For age-restricted products, certain businesses have to prove they’re following all age protection procedures in order to accept credit cards.

Industries That Require Age Verification Software

Listed below are a few of the top industries that require age verification. It’s important to note, if you have a company within the list below, then your merchant account may have special Terms and Conditions. Be sure to reach out to a high risk provider like Zen Payments to get a custom account.

1. Online Gambling Websites – Online gambling is a growing industry, and as such needs strict regulations when it comes to prevent minors from playing. Moreover, regulations change for each state making it increasingly important to verify ages.
2. Age-restricted Products – Every e-commerce store that sells age-restricted products, such as alcohol, tobacco, or cannabis, needs to evaluate the customer’s age before selling the product.
3. Social Media Platforms – Social media platforms have an increased risk for predators and can pose threats to young people. Age verification not only helps organize the ages of users, but it helps verify the identity of those who might misrepresent themself.
4. Dating Websites and Apps – Dating apps have the added element of in-person meeting. Because the risk is increased, it’s critical to make sure all users are the age and identity they’re claiming on their dating profile.
5. Online Streaming Services – Most streaming services that feature mature content, such as movies or TV shows with explicit language or sexual content, may use age verification software to prevent minors from watching them

Top Age Verification Software Tools

There are many different age verification software tools available for online businesses. Some popular options include:

Pricing For Online Age Verification

If you use age verification software, it can cost a lot depending on who you use, how much it costs, and how many verifications you need every month. There are some age verification tools that are free , while others charge a monthly subscription fee or a per-verification fee.

In general, these tools can cost anywhere from $0.10 to $1 a verification, and some providers offer volume discounts for businesses that need a lot of them. Even though age verification software can be a factor in the decision-making process for businesses, it’s important to remember that the cost of non-compliance and reputational damage when you sell age-restricted products to minors can be much more expensive.