Member Avatar for Ancient Dragon

I have started a new vBulletin site and one of the forums is going to be for adults only, over age 17. Right now when a new member registers he/she can put whateve age he wants. Before allowing access the the adult-only forum I'd like to verify that the person is as old as he claims to be. Is there any way to verify the age?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Member #120589

Dani AI

Generated

— short, practical path forward that complements the ideas already shared by , and without repeating them.

Start by separating "verified" from "unverified" accounts in vBulletin (a dedicated usergroup or profile flag). Keep the default registration light: place anyone who has not completed a higher-confidence check into the restricted group so they cannot see the adult forum.

Choose a verification method that matches your risk tolerance and budget:

  • Document + selfie (OCR + face match) — highest practical confidence; handled by vendors that return a verification token so you never store raw documents.
  • Official digital ID / eID wallets — strong where available regionally.
  • Telco/bank-backed checks — moderate confidence where supported.
    Each option trades off cost, privacy and false positives; test vendors for accuracy and API/webhook support. A vendor example for document+biometric flows is Onfido’s age verification.

Integration pattern for vBulletin

  1. User attempts to access adult forum; if not verified, redirect to a verification flow.
  2. Vendor verifies and posts a signed webhook back (or returns a short-lived token).
  3. Your site validates the token and moves the user into the verified usergroup.
  4. Keep an audit record (verification result, timestamp, vendor token ID), not the raw documents.

Data protection and UX

  • Store the minimum data needed; delete or avoid storing images/IDs when the vendor can supply a verifiable token.
  • Publish clear retention and privacy rules and have a Data Processing Agreement with the vendor.
  • Make verification progressive: require it only to access the restricted forum, not for basic participation.

For legal and compliance specifics relevant to your jurisdiction, review official guidance such as the ICO code for online services and consult a lawyer before choosing a full production approach: .

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for JorgeM

There are some sites that ask for a credit card just for validation of age and identity. Other than that, Just asking for the age and having the person enable the checkbox that there are of age and understand the terms and conditions of the site, is the approach that I have seen most implemented.

Member Avatar for Ancient Dragon

Just taking the person's word for it is not good enough IMHO. I don't want to break any laws by allowing under-age children access to adult-content. I've started googleing for this and found one promising site that provides that service.

Member Avatar for JorgeM

absolutely...i wasnt suggesting that my first response was advice. I would agree that when dealing with age issues, I would most definately seek out legal advice. Keep in mind that if you do find a managed service, still seek out legal advice as the laws from country to country may vary. I am no legal expert at all, but my thoughts are for example, if you are complying with US laws, but this service is based in another country, that can be an issue for you.

this is an interesting topic. I am going to look into this as well.

Member Avatar for pritaeas

found one promising site that provides that service

I wonder how they do this. Based on web presence alone, there is no fail proof way to check it.

Member Avatar for Member #120589

I tried to do this a while ago and came to the conclusion that all I could practically do was put up a warning, get the user to agree to them (in addition to a clause about age). Muddying the waters with credit card numbers and such is a bit awkward. What about users without CCs? What do you then do with that info? You are legally responsible for storing that info - if you store it. A kid could get their parent's CC anyway.
If you look at Facebook and BBs, they all have a similar approach. I remember phpBB used to (still do?) have a COPPA thingy.

//EDIT

Don't the 'laws' pertain to the country where the server is based?

Edited by Member #120589
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