What is an age band, technically?
A Bandio age band is a digital file stored locally in the browser on the device where it was created.
It consists of the following information: the selected age-range (age-range description, minimum age, maximum age), a proxy birthdate (i.e. the latest possible birthdate associated with your chosen age range, calculated based on your band creation date), the method used to determine the creator's adult status (e.g, “selfie”), and a zero knowledge proof (an advanced mathematical calculation) that serves as the authenticity seal for the age band.
Why should I want an age band for me or my child?
Without age bands or other types of robust age checks, kids are often treated like adults by social media, gaming, pornography, and other sites.
This isn’t safe or positive for kids.
More meaningful age checks are a necessary step in making the digital world more age-appropriate.
Age bands like Bandio’s enable you to do a robust age check once, and then use the anonymous age band with sites and apps when you want to be sure they know that your kid is a kid.
How does creating age bands for adults help kids?
Sometimes, the best way to protect children is to ask the adults to help.
In the physical world, we deter young people from buying alcohol by asking everyone, including adults, to show an ID.
In the digital world, we can similarly help make clear which users are adults and which users aren't by clearly communicating our own age to platforms.
What would change for my child if sites knew their actual age?
Most parents don’t know that many popular sites provide better safety and privacy settings for users who self-declare themselves to be kids or teens.
These settings vary by site, but can include benefits like making the child’s profile private by default, limiting the ability for strangers to see the child’s posts, preventing violent or explicit ads from being shown to the child, restricting features that have harmed children in the past, and limiting access to content intended for older teens or adults.
More and more sites are adding or expanding these types of age-based settings in response to new regulations and public pressure. But your child is not benefitting unless the site knows your kid is a kid or your teen is a teen.
Why so many different age bands?
There are two reasons for having so many different age bands.
One reason is to ensure that when your child uses an age band, it provides the site with enough information to meet their legal obligations for your geographic region. Different regions have different age requirements for various types of online activity.
The second reason is to provide your child with a more developmentally appropriate experience from day one on a platform, without them having to collect data to try to guess their age.
Why can a 16-year-old create their own band?
Bandio enables 16 and 17 year olds to create their own age band because by age 16, most teens have developed a great sense of personal responsibility and autonomy, and also, they are more likely to have a state ID or license.
Parents and guardians can alternatively vouch for their older teen’s age, if they do not yet have a driver's license.
