olderThan18

OlderThan18 is a term used in software, policy, and content regulation to indicate whether a person meets the general minimum age of 18. It is commonly employed to gate access to adult content, alcohol or gambling services, and other age-restricted features on websites and apps. The concept can appear as a simple rule in code or as a policy decision in a service’s onboarding flow.

In practice, olderThan18 is typically implemented as a boolean predicate. It evaluates whether a user’s age is at least 18. This can be based on a user’s age input (an integer) or on a birth date from which the system computes age. A straightforward example is a function that returns true if age >= 18. In more precise implementations, systems may compute age from a birth date using the current date to account for exact anniversaries, rather than relying on a rough year estimate.

Data sources and verification methods vary. Some services rely on user-provided birth dates, while others employ third-party identity verification or government-issued documents for higher-assurance needs. Privacy and data minimization are important considerations, as birth date information is sensitive.

Limitations and considerations include the reliability of user-provided data, the potential for circumvention, and differences in legal age thresholds across jurisdictions. While 18 is a common threshold, some countries use different ages for specific activities, making localization and compliance a key aspect of implementing olderThan18.