Identifying the trade-offs in online age verification

Concern about the harm social media can do to young people is growing. But to protect kids, platforms have to know who is underage. That’s why user age verification has become a focus for policymakers. Several states have passed laws that require it. But these policies require a range of trade-offs, according to a new analysis from Utah State University’s Center for Growth and Opportunity. Matt Perault and Scott Brennen of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Center on Technology Policy co-wrote that research. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino discussed the costs and benefits involved in various age verification methods with the pair.