Agegating

Agegating, or age gating, is the practice of restricting access to content, services, or products based on the user's age. A gate is typically presented at the point of entry, requiring a user to enter their date of birth or confirm they meet a minimum age before proceeding. In some systems, access is denied entirely (hard gate); in others, a warning is shown or parental/guardianship confirmation is requested (soft gate).

Common methods include self-declaration (birth year or date of birth), confirmation prompts (e.g., "I am over 18"), and third-party age verification services. More stringent schemes may use identity verification, device-level age estimation, or parental consent mechanisms. Age gates should minimize collection of personal data to align with privacy laws.

Applications include adult-oriented sites or content, such as pornography, alcohol, tobacco, and gambling, as well as online games or streaming services with mature content. Schools or workplaces may also apply age gating for certain materials. Platforms and publishers implement age gates to comply with laws and platform policies, and to provide age-appropriate experiences for different audiences.

Legal and policy context varies by jurisdiction. In the United States, COPPA governs the collection of information from children under 13, affecting age-gating design for younger users. In the European Union, GDPR imposes safeguards for processing children's data and often requires parental consent for younger users; some member states set the digital age of consent at 13 or 16. Platforms commonly deploy age gates to align with these rules and with policy requirements.

Criticism and challenges include privacy concerns, potential data collection, user friction, and accessibility issues for people with disabilities. Minors may still bypass age gates, and gate designs cannot always verify age reliably. Age gating is not a substitute for broader content controls and risk-based moderation.