There are a number of ways that an age check can be re-used, either to access the same service or other services, without repeating the process of proving your age.
An account with the service
Users may create an account with the service they are using, and the service will maintain a record that the user has completed an age check, so they are not required to do so again when they return to that service. This may be indefinite, although to maintain the integrity of the age assurance process, this approach is most appropriate for very low-risk services. As risk increases, periodic re-checks help prevent errors becoming embedded permanently.
A reusable digital age check app
Users may download an age check app or use a general digital identity wallet. In practice, these are often full digital ID applications from which the user selectively shares only an age or age-range attribute when required and willing to do so. Each time the user needs to prove their age, they do not repeat the age check itself but instead share a previously established age assertion stored on their device.
Cookie-based recognition
Some services may issue cookies to users who consent to them, which include a field confirming they have completed the necessary age check for that service. For as long as the cookie is retained on the user’s device and the service’s policy permits, the user will not need to repeat the age check.
This approach does not work if the user clears cookies or uses private or incognito browsing modes.
Token-based reuse
Following a successful age check, a service or age assurance provider may issue a cryptographically signed token confirming the user meets the required age threshold. This token can be stored securely on the user’s device or within the browser environment and re-used on subsequent visits, subject to expiry rules and risk controls. This approach is functionally similar to cookies but is not limited to traditional cookie mechanisms.
Distinguishing reusable from interoperable
The methods described above focus on re-use within a single service or age assurance provider. Interoperability extends this concept further, allowing an age check completed with one participating provider to be accepted by a service even where a different age assurance provider is used (subject to agreed technical standards, trust, and governance frameworks).