Age Assurance: From Regulation to Implementation

• 04/17/2026
• Report

Representatives from industry and business, regulatory and administrative bodies, and civil society gathered in Manchester (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) this week, from 14 to 16 April, to exchange information on current developments in the field of age assurance. Following the two previous Global Age Assurance Standards Summits, which focused on the rationale and benefits of standardisation (2024) and the development of effective regulation (2025), this year’s conference centred on the implementation and realisation of age assurance measures. A wide range of events offered the opportunity to listen to keynote speeches on the main stage, collaborate and discuss issues in workshops, and follow presentations on new innovations. The conference was held alongside the ISO/IEC 27566 Masterclass and, for the first time, the Age Assurance Industry Awards ceremony. The conference was accompanied by the ISO/IEC 27566 Masterclass and, for the first time, the Age Assurance Industry Awards ceremony. 

Many of these sessions also focused on the interests and rights of children. In addition to issues relating to the protection of minors in public spaces, such as when purchasing alcohol or tobacco, many discussions and consultations centred on how age assurance methods can be used in the digital environment to ensure that young people have age-appropriate online experiences and to protect them from the risks and dangers of the digital environment. There was no shortage of critical debate. For instance, Pratishtha Arora from Social Media Matters pointed out in the session “Social Media Matters – Beyond the Ban: Building Age Assurance That Actually Works for India’s Children” that the Australian model cannot simply be applied to India if regional and cultural needs are to be taken into account. In the panel discussion “Five Regulators. One Stage. Your Questions.”, it was emphasised that translating regulation into implementation and application can present challenges, requiring a balance to be struck between constitutional and individual rights. With regard to underage users of the digital environment, Katie Searle from the UK Information Commissioner’s Office made it clear in the session “ICO – Age Assurance that stands up to scrutiny” that there must be no trade-off between data protection and child safety when implementing age verification. Both must be implemented in equal measure. To prevent different positions and approaches from coming into conflict, clear language must be used that is easy to understand and leaves no room for ambiguity, as Joel R. McConvey of BiometricUpdates emphasised. And speaking on behalf of the 5RightsFoundation, Manon Letouche pointed out that the right questions must be asked in order to arrive at meaningful answers. Accordingly, she argued, the correct approach is not to seek the right age at which children can begin using social media platforms. Rather, these platforms must be designed to be fundamentally safe and appropriate for the interests and needs of young users as well.

In addition to topics relating to the rationale behind and application of age assurance methods, there were also plenty of insights into current processes for developing and implementing these methods, as well as the challenges currently being faced. Ricardo Lins Horta from the Brazilian Ministry of Justice, for example, reported on the legislative process for introducing age assurance for digital service providers, with the aim of protecting children and young people online from pornography, gambling-like mechanisms in online games, and social media. Robin Tombs from Yoti provided information on further developments and measures to make age aussurance more secure and protect it against manipulation and deception, whilst the European Commission presented the completed app for age verification using the EUDI Wallet at the conference. This enables a reliable age signal to be transmitted anonymously and securely to digital services without having to provide further information about one’s identity. This technical solution is a key component for a potential ban on social media for children and young people, as is currently being discussed in many Member States of the European Union. Equally, however, the age signal from the EUDI Wallet can also be used to open up safe and age-appropriate digital spaces for young users of the digital environment, thereby contributing to the participation and development of young people.

All participants at the Global Age Assurance Standards Summit were invited to contribute to a conference communiqué. Whilst this does not constitute a formal resolution, it does reflect a broad consensus and can be read here.