Age-check methods
Ofcom's January 2025 guidance lists seven methods as capable of being highly effective. This page says what each collects from you, what Ofcom has said about it, and which services in the index offer it. The share of services offering each method is read from the chart in Ofcom's July 2026 report and is approximate.
| Method | What it collects | Ofcom: capable of being highly effective? | Offered by (Ofcom sample) | Services in the index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facial age estimation (face scan) face scan, selfie check, video selfie |
A selfie photo or a short video of your face. Software estimates an age from the image; it does not match you against a database of known faces. Some… | Listed as capable | 91% approx. | Bluesky, Character.AI, ChatGPT, Discord, EA, Epic Games and Fortnite, Facebook, Feeld, Google Account and Google Search, Grindr, Hinge, Instagram, Kick, Minecraft, OnlyFans, Pinterest, PlayStation, Reddit, Roblox, Spotify, Telegram, Threads, Tinder, Tumblr, Twitch, X and Grok, Xbox, YouTube |
| Photo ID ID upload, document check, passport or driving licence scan |
A photo of a passport, driving licence or other identity document, usually with a selfie to match against the document photo. The date of birth is read from… | Listed as capable | 84% approx. | Apple devices, Bluesky, Bumble, Character.AI, ChatGPT, Depop, Discord, EA, Epic Games and Fortnite, Facebook, Feeld, Google Account and Google Search, Grindr, Hinge, Instagram, Kick, Minecraft, OnlyFans, Pinterest, PlayStation, Reddit, Riot Games, Roblox, Spotify, Threads, Tinder, Tumblr, Vinted, X and Grok, Xbox, YouTube |
| Credit card check card check |
A credit-card age check uses a card that can only be held by an adult as evidence of age. Verification and payment are separate purposes: a service may use one… | Listed as capable | 34% approx. | Apple devices, Bluesky, Discord, eBay, Epic Games and Fortnite, Google Account and Google Search, Kick, Pornhub, YouPorn, RedTube, Riot Games, Steam, Xbox, YouTube |
| Open banking bank check, verify with your bank |
You log in to your own bank through an FCA-regulated provider and consent to the bank confirming that you are over 18. The service does not see your… | Listed as capable | 9% approx. | Pornhub, YouPorn, RedTube, Tumblr |
| Mobile operator check mobile network check, phone contract check, MNO check |
Your mobile number. The network operator confirms whether the adult-content bar on that account has been lifted, which the operator only does after its own age… | Listed as capable | 13% approx. | Feeld, PlayStation, Pornhub, YouPorn, RedTube, Xbox |
| Email-based age estimation email check |
Your email address. It is checked against records of where that address has been used, for example with financial-services or utility providers, to estimate… | Listed as capable | 22% approx. | Google Account and Google Search, Pornhub, YouPorn, RedTube, X and Grok, YouTube |
| Digital ID and reusable age tokens digital ID wallet, digital identity app, reusable digital ID, age token, AgeKey |
An over-18 attribute shared from a digital identity app (for example the Yoti app or Post Office EasyID) or from a reusable token issued after a previous check… | Listed as capable | 38% approx. | Discord, Google Account and Google Search, Kick, YouTube |
| Age inference from account signals age prediction, age estimation from behaviour, passive age assurance |
Nothing extra from you. The service estimates your age from account behaviour and other signals it already holds, then may ask for one of the active methods… | Not capable | — | Apple devices, Bumble, Character.AI, ChatGPT, Facebook, Google Account and Google Search, Instagram, Reddit, Replika, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X and Grok, YouTube |
| Parental consent parent verification |
A parent's details, typically a small card authorisation or an ID check of the parent, through a service such as Epic's Kids Web Services. It confirms that an… | Not an age-check method | — | EA, Epic Games and Fortnite, Riot Games |
| Self-declaration entering a date of birth, age gate tick box |
A date of birth or a confirmation that you are over 18, typed in by you. | Not capable | — | Crunchyroll, Depop, Replika |
Sources: Ofcom, Guidance on highly effective age assurance and other Part 5 duties, 16 January 2025; Ofcom, Report on the use of age assurance, 15 July 2026. Both are linked on each method page and on the sources page.