Chris Mufarrige, Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), said on Feb. 25 that new age verification technologies are among some of “the most child-protective technologies to emerge in decades.”
The statement was included in a Federal Trade Commission press release announcing a new policy under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule.
The FTC said the policy is intended to provide legal clarity for operators using age verification tools solely to determine user age, as online platforms face increasing scrutiny over how they protect minors from inappropriate content and data collection.
“Our statement incentivizes operators to use these innovative tools, empowering parents to protect their children online,” Mufarrige said.
According to the FTC press release, enforcement actions will not be brought against general-audience and mixed-audience sites that use age verification solely for determining user age, provided certain conditions are met. These include limits on data retention, prohibitions on secondary use, restrictions on disclosure to trusted third parties, clear notice requirements, and security and accuracy safeguards.
Recent legal and regulatory developments underscore the growing pressure on platforms to implement stronger age verification systems. A jury in New Mexico ordered Meta to pay $375 million after finding violations of the state’s Unfair Practices Act, with state officials signaling plans to pursue court-mandated changes including enhanced age verification on its platforms.
The policy shift comes as age verification technologies are increasingly being adopted and tested across online platforms, prompting growth among third-party verification providers such as Persona.
Persona, which provides identity and age verification services, says it does not sell personal data or use it for artificial intelligence or model training, and that it can confirm attributes such as age without revealing full identity information. It also states it complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), allows clients to set retention and deletion policies, and operates in more than 200 countries and territories.
Other platforms are also adopting similar tools. Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said the platform will use third-party verification systems to confirm users are real people without collecting their real-world identities. More than 30 U.S. states have enacted or are considering laws requiring age verification or parental consent for platforms used by minors.
Mufarrige has served as Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the FTC since his appointment following roles at other federal agencies and teaching positions related to consumer protection law, according to his official biography.
