The ICO has been working to find out more about some aspects of age assurance, to inform future work.
How online businesses are using age assurance
The ICO commissioned research to better understand how age assurance is being used by organisations online. Age assurance technology is developing rapidly. This study helps us understand which age assurance measures are commonly used and why. It explores:
- the perceived drivers and challenges for using age assurance;
- organistions’ future plans for implementing age assurance; and
- knowledge of ICO and use of guidance.
The fieldwork engaged 235 organisations for an online survey, and a smaller number of respondents were selected for more in-depth interviews. When interpreting the results, please be aware that for some questions the sample size is a subset of the total. This means that these findings should be interpreted carefully. Readers should avoid generalising results specific to sectors with relatively low sample rates. This is highlighted in the report.
Measurement of age assurance technologies – part 2 (22 August 2023)
Age assurance is a complex area with technology developing rapidly. Under the Digital Regulation Co-operation Forum (DRCF), Ofcom and the ICO jointly commissioned research to explore ways of measuring the accuracy levels achievable by different age assurance solutions. It encourages further reflection on how to measure the overall effectiveness of age assurance methods, in addition to their technical accuracy. We will continue to work together to ensure regulatory alignment in this area.
Measurement of age assurance technologies - part 1
The ICO commissioned a technical study of measures to assess the effectiveness of age assurance techniques and to understand the potential for consistency, comparability and standardisation of measurement.
Families’ attitudes to age assurance
Under the Digital Regulation Co-operation Forum (DRCF), Ofcom and the ICO jointly commissioned research to explore the attitudes of children and parents/carers to age assurance methods and where they see the balance of trade-offs between considerations such as privacy, online safety and ease of use.
The research involved researchers speaking to parents and children individually, as well as focus groups where children and parents were able to discuss age assurance methods in more depth.