International guidelines promote data-protection-friendly age-assurance systems – national implementations vary

The protection of children and young people in the digital space is increasingly becoming a key political and regulatory issue. Whilst numerous countries are discussing or have already introduced stricter rules for social media platforms, a common international trend is emerging: age verification is to be made more reliable in future, whilst at the same time protecting users’ privacy.

The latest decisions by the G7 nations illustrate this approach. In parallel, Japan is working on its own regulatory model for social media, which focuses on flexible age checks rather than blanket bans. These developments show that, whilst a common goal is emerging, the paths to achieving it may differ.

Digital safety as a global challenge

Social media and online platforms are an integral part of everyday life for many children and young people. At the same time, concerns are growing about minors’ access to unsuitable content, manipulative recommendation algorithms, cyberbullying and other digital risks.

As a result, measures for age verification have been introduced or announced in several countries in recent years. The approaches range from mandatory proof of age to discussions about minimum ages for using social networks.

The challenge lies in ensuring effective protection of minors without disproportionately restricting data protection rights, freedom of expression or access to digital communication tools.

Japan takes a differentiated approach

Japan is currently working on a package of measures to improve the protection of minors online. Unlike some other countries, however, the government does not plan to impose general age bans on social networks.

Instead, technical age verification procedures are to be developed that are tailored to the respective platforms and their usage scenarios. Different age limits for various services are being discussed, as are individual procedures for verifying age.

A key element of these considerations is the involvement of telecoms providers and platform operators. They are expected to develop suitable technical solutions whilst analysing and disclosing the respective risks associated with their services.

Furthermore, the proposals envisage activating child protection features and parental control mechanisms by default for minors. In addition, educational measures are intended to strengthen the media literacy of parents, teachers and young people.

G7 formulates joint guidelines

In parallel with national developments, the G7 countries, together with the European Union, have for the first time adopted fundamental principles for the protection of minors in the digital space.

The focus is on the call for reliable yet privacy-friendly age verification procedures. The guidelines expressly emphasise that age verification must not be carried out at the expense of privacy or freedom of expression.

Particular emphasis is placed on the concept of “privacy-preserving age assurance”. The aim is simply to confirm whether a person has reached a certain age threshold without disclosing any additional personal data.

Technologies such as digital proof of identity, cryptographic age verification or data-sparing wallet solutions are regarded in this context as potential building blocks for future systems.

Security should begin at the development stage

However, the G7 guidelines go beyond mere age checks. They pursue a so-called “safety-by-design” approach, whereby safety and youth protection requirements are to be taken into account as early as the development phase of digital services.

These include, among other things:

• systematic risk analyses for platforms,
• transparent risk mitigation measures,
• particularly strict data protection settings for minors,
• age-appropriate design of recommendation algorithms,
• tools for controlling one’s own digital identity,
• protection against harmful or illegal content.

Combating depictions of sexual violence against children and AI-generated abusive content is also explicitly cited as a key priority.

Greater involvement of parents and educational institutions

Another focus of the G7 initiative is on supporting parents and educational institutions. Plans include interoperable tools for monitoring minors’ digital activities, as well as comprehensive programmes to promote digital literacy.

Against the backdrop of the rapid development of generative AI systems, families and schools are to be better equipped to assess the opportunities and risks of new technologies.

International cooperation is gaining in importance

The adopted principles are to be supplemented in future by concrete measures and action plans. At the same time, the participating countries are committed to closer cooperation between regulatory authorities, academia, platform operators and technology providers.

The European Union, in particular, points to existing cooperation with national supervisory authorities and regulatory instruments such as the Digital Services Act (DSA) to enforce safety standards in the digital space.

Between data protection and the protection of minors

Current developments highlight the growing importance of age verification as a component of modern online safety. Whilst there is agreement that minors must be better protected, the specific implementation remains the subject of intense debate.

With its flexible approach, Japan demonstrates that national solutions can prioritise different areas. The G7 guidelines, in turn, establish for the first time a common international framework designed to combine data protection, technical innovation and the protection of minors.

For digital service providers, this means that age verification can no longer be viewed as an isolated function. Rather, it is evolving into an integral part of comprehensive security and trust frameworks for the digital society.