We call on the UK Government to establish and fund a centralised, secure age verification system that is free or low-cost for platforms. This system could enable age checks to protect vulnerable users while supporting small to medium-sized businesses and comply with the Online Safety Act.

The Online Safety Act requires online services to verify users’ ages to keep children safe. However, we are concerned that many smaller companies struggle to afford and implement age verification technology, risking non-compliance or exclusion from the digital market. We believe that if this were to be implemented, it could allow for firms to remain in the market, as some are unable to afford current age verification systems.