Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that adults who do not possess photo ID are able to verify their age online.

In its guidance for services, Ofcom listed several kinds of age assurance in addition to photo-ID matching, including facial age estimation, open banking and digital identity services. These can be highly effective at determining whether or not a user is a child.

The Online Safety Act is clear that age assurance should work effectively for all users regardless of their characteristics or whether they are members of a certain group.

Ofcom are set to publish a report on the effectiveness of age assurance by July 2026, which will broaden our evidence base and inform any future policy options on this issue