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## [Who is liable when the device signals an inaccurate user age?](https://avpassociation.com/thought-leadership/who-is-liable-when-the-device-signals-an-inaccurate-user-age/)
Operating system age controls are a useful layer of protection but cannot replace age checks by the website itself. Most rest on an unchecked date of birth, cover only some devices and describe the account holder rather than the person using the device. Apple’s iOS 26.4 adult check is not passed to websites as a verifiable result, and where Apple and Google do share an age signal, their terms cap their liability and require the website to indemnify them. A device signal should be used to grant adults access only if it meets the same certified standard as any other age check and someone stands behind it.  Read more...


## [Using age assurance to prevent self-generated CSAM and sextortion](https://avpassociation.com/thought-leadership/using-age-assurance-to-prevent-self-generated-csam-and-sextortion/)
As children head back to school, many will do so carrying something previous generations never had: a smartphone that provides constant access to social media, messaging apps and strangers. For many parents, one concern increasingly stands out above the rest: sextortion. These crimes almost always begin with deception. An adult criminal poses as another young […]

## [The VPN Fallacy revisited](https://avpassociation.com/thought-leadership/the-vpn-fallacy/)
Why age verification laws should require more than an IP address to prove a user’s location Understanding “the VPN Fallacy” Some adult websites claim they comply with state-mandated age verification laws by blocking access from states where such laws are in effect. However, this claim is misleading so it is referred to as “the VPN […]

## [New Zealand’s online age restrictions benefit from “second-mover advantage”](https://avpassociation.com/thought-leadership/new-zealands-online-age-restrictions-benefit-from-second-mover-advantage/)
New Zealand has become the latest country to propose a social media minimum age of 16. But its new Online Safety (Minimum Age and Child Safety Risk Assessment) Bill does more than copy Australia. National, the largest party in New Zealand’s governing coalition, has introduced a Government Bill which appears to have learnt some important […]

## [No, EFF: ZKPs are a ‘silver bullet’ in Age Assurance when privacy is critical](https://avpassociation.com/thought-leadership/no-eff-zkps-are-a-silver-bullet-in-age-assurance-when-privacy-is-critical/)
In their latest publication in a series tackling age assurance, “Zero-Knowledge Proofs Aren’t Age Verification Silver Bullets” the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) base their critique of a proven cryptographic technology entirely on the potential for it being deployed badly or maliciously. Zero-Knowledge Proofs have worked effectively for decades. ZKPs do not inherently require a single […]

## [Countries Considering Social Media Delays](https://avpassociation.com/thought-leadership/countries-considering-social-media-delays/)
Governments are increasingly exploring a “social media delay” to restrict or better regulate children’s access to online platforms. These proposals are driven by growing concerns around youth mental health and online safety risks. Many countries are considering measures such as raising the minimum access age, introducing mandatory parental consent, or strengthening age-verification requirements to delay […]

## [Age Assurance at 16 White Paper](https://avpassociation.com/consultation-response/age-assurance-at-16-white-paper/)
Ofcom is due to report to Parliament on the feasibility of age assurance to implement a minimum age of 16 for social media in the UK. We consulted our members and have provided this report on the state of the art of current age assurance technology when it comes to confirming a user is 16 […]

## [Evidence to Australian Senate confirms our case: The problem is not Age Assurance – it’s the lack of it](https://avpassociation.com/thought-leadership/evidence-to-australian-senate-confirms-our-case-the-problem-is-not-age-assurance-its-the-lack-of-it/)
This week’s Senate committee hearing into the social media minimum age ban confirmed what AVPA documented in our Lessons Learned report published in April: that platforms are not using the wide range of age assurance options they could adopt. So, this news of a gap between capability and deployment is not new. But the Senate hearing provided […]

## [New Mexico Court Judgement: Positive or negative for Age Assurance?](https://avpassociation.com/thought-leadership/new-mexico-court-judgement-positive-or-negative-for-age-assurance/)
On 6 August 2026, Judge Biedscheid of the First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe issued his findings of fact, conclusions of law and judgement in State of New Mexico v Meta Platforms, Inc. The case had been brought by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, alleging that Meta’s platforms constituted a public nuisance by […]

## [Why “Device-Only” age checks are a False Choice for lawmakers](https://avpassociation.com/thought-leadership/why-device-only-creates-a-false-choice-for-lawmakers/)
A prominent adult platform network recently published an open letter to US lawmakers arguing that site-level age verification laws have failed. In its place, the letter proposes that lawmakers mandate Apple, Google and Microsoft to build device-level age checks into operating systems, treating such “upstream” controls as a complete substitute for the existing adult websites’ […]