We Solved HTTPS. Why Haven’t We Solved Age Verification?

There’s something fundamentally broken about how the internet handles age verification. Right now, most websites rely on a system that looks like this: “Are you 18?” → Click yes → full access That’s not a safeguard. It’s a checkbox with zero enforcement. At the same time, social media companies and online platforms are increasingly being held responsible for protecting minors from harmful content, addictive design, and inappropriate interactions. The expectation is rising—but the infrastructure to support it hasn’t kept up. We’re asking platforms to solve a hard, global identity problem… individually. That’s the real issue. The Wrong Problem Most debates around age verification focus on edge cases: What if a kid lies? What if they use a parent’s account? What about privacy? What about global access? These are valid concerns—but they miss the bigger picture. The goal should not be: “Make it impossible for minors to access restricted content” That’s unrealistic. Instead, the goal should