Publications
Who is liable when the device signals an inaccurate user age?
Operating system age controls are a useful layer of protection but cannot replace age checks by the website itself. Most rest on an unchecked date of birth, cover only some devices and describe the account holder rather than the person using the device. Apple’s iOS 26.4 adult check is not passed to websites as a verifiable result, and where Apple and Google do share an age signal, their terms cap their liability and require the website to indemnify them. A device signal should be used to grant adults access only if it meets the same certified standard as any other age check and someone stands behind it. Read more…
Using age assurance to prevent self-generated CSAM and sextortion
As children head back to school, many will do so carrying something previous generations never had: a smartphone that provides constant access to social media, messaging apps and strangers. For many parents, one concern increasingly stands out above the rest:...
The VPN Fallacy revisited
Why age verification laws should require more than an IP address to prove a user’s location Understanding “the VPN Fallacy” Some adult websites claim they comply with state-mandated age verification laws by blocking access from states where such laws are in effect....
New Zealand’s online age restrictions benefit from “second-mover advantage”
New Zealand has become the latest country to propose a social media minimum age of 16. But its new Online Safety (Minimum Age and Child Safety Risk Assessment) Bill does more than copy Australia. National, the largest party in New Zealand’s governing coalition, has...
No, EFF: ZKPs are a ‘silver bullet’ in Age Assurance when privacy is critical
In their latest publication in a series tackling age assurance, "Zero-Knowledge Proofs Aren’t Age Verification Silver Bullets" the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) base their critique of a proven cryptographic technology entirely on the potential for it being...
Countries Considering Social Media Delays
Governments are increasingly exploring a “social media delay” to restrict or better regulate children’s access to online platforms. These proposals are driven by growing concerns around youth mental health and online safety risks. Many countries are considering...
Age Assurance at 16 White Paper
Summary The Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA) has published a report examining the feasibility of using age assurance to enforce a minimum age of 16 for social media in the UK. The report outlines current age assurance technologies, their ability to...
Evidence to Australian Senate confirms our case: The problem is not Age Assurance – it’s the lack of it
This week’s Senate committee hearing into the social media minimum age ban confirmed what AVPA documented in our Lessons Learned report published in April: that platforms are not using the wide range of age assurance options they could adopt. So, this news...
New Mexico Court Judgement: Positive or negative for Age Assurance?
On 6 August 2026, Judge Biedscheid of the First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe issued his findings of fact, conclusions of law and judgement in State of New Mexico v Meta Platforms, Inc. The case had been brought by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez,...
Why “Device-Only” age checks are a False Choice for lawmakers
A prominent adult platform network recently published an open letter to US lawmakers arguing that site-level age verification laws have failed. In its place, the letter proposes that lawmakers mandate Apple, Google and Microsoft to build device-level age checks into...
BMJ publishes research confirming age assurance is not being deployed in Australia
A study published in the BMJ on 24 June 2026 looked at what actually happened to Australian teenagers in the three months after the Social Media Minimum Age Act came into force in December 2025. The headline conclusion has been widely reported as proof that age...