The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has significantly enhanced online child safety and compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Rule by introducing a novel parental consent verification system in video gaming.
To ensure age-appropriate gaming experiences, the ESRB has collaborated with digital ID platform Yoti and child safety tools specialist SuperAwesome to propose the new 'Privacy-Protective Facial Age Estimation' system.
The technology will be activated when a child attempts to access age-appropriate content, utilizing facial recognition software to estimate their age. Parental consent is granted if the estimated age surpasses the 25-year threshold, allowing the child to proceed and engage with the appropriate content. However, if the estimated age falls below the threshold, parental consent is not permitted, ensuring higher safety and privacy protection for young users.
Child Verification Mechanisms
ERSB Debuts a New System for Parental Consent in Video Gaming
Trend Themes
1. Online Child Safety - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop advanced age verification systems using facial recognition technology to enhance online child safety and compliance.
2. Parental Consent Verification - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create efficient parental consent verification systems that enable age-appropriate content access in various digital platforms and industries.
3. Privacy-protective Facial Age Estimation - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Explore the use of privacy-protective facial age estimation technology in sectors beyond gaming, such as social media and online education, to ensure age-appropriate interactions.
Industry Implications
1. Video Gaming - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Implement facial recognition-based age verification systems in the video gaming industry to enforce age-appropriate content access and enhance child safety.
2. Digital Identity Verification - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop advanced digital identity verification tools and platforms that prioritize privacy and compliance with regulations like COPPA.
3. Child Safety Tools - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Innovate and expand the range of child safety tools to incorporate privacy-protective facial age estimation technology and enhance online safety in various industries.