News

Age checks under the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026

The OneID Team® — Tue, 15 Sep 2026 11:55:35 GMT

On 15 June 2028, two 19-year-olds can ask for the same packet of cigarettes at the same counter. The one born on 31 December 2008 can be served. Staff must refuse the one born on 10 January 2009, that day and every later day. Both are 19, so the person on the till can only tell them apart by reading a date of birth.

The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 and age checks

The OneID Team® — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 11:28:23 GMT

Part 2 of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 came into force on 1 December 2025, apart from four sections that are still not commenced. It gave the UK a statutory framework and a public register for digital verification services, plus a trust mark that only registered providers may use, and that no provider is entitled to display yet. That machinery lets a business check whether the provider running its age checks is certified, and against which version of the rules. It imposes no duty on anyone to verify a customer’s age.

Age assurance records: what a regulator can ask for

The OneID Team® — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 11:27:23 GMT

Ofcom fined Fenix International, the operator of OnlyFans, £1.05 million for failing to provide accurate information about its age assurance measures. Ofcom lists that penalty in its guidance on responding to information requests, updated 11 April 2025.

Why a date of birth age gate is not an age check

The OneID Team® — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 11:26:01 GMT

A date of birth box is the cheapest age gate a product team can ship. Ofcom has excluded self-declaration by name from the methods capable of meeting its highly effective standard, and three other regulators have arrived at the same place on different legal bases. That leaves a sign-up field carrying no evidential weight and a user base of ages nobody checked.

Age verification for existing users: the back-book problem

The OneID Team® — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 10:51:48 GMT

Australia’s regulator has already put existing accounts inside the duty. Its guidance of 16 September 2025 says measures will not count as reasonable steps if they “rely entirely on self-declaration to determine the age of existing or prospective account holders”. Existing account holders sit in the same clause.

Six criteria for choosing an age assurance method

The OneID Team® — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 10:44:24 GMT

Thirteen jurisdictions are now regulating children’s access to social media, at five different age thresholds, and they agree on almost nothing about method. One has a full under-16 account restriction actually in force, as at 17 August 2026. The rest are proposals, adopted laws awaiting commencement, partial measures, cases in litigation, or a different mechanism entirely. Our social media age limits by country hub sets out where each one stands.

Age and identity checks when selling medicines online

The OneID Team® — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 10:21:58 GMT

Which lines in your catalogue actually need a check

NHS employment check standards: verifying a new starter

The OneID Team® — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 10:18:30 GMT

Your new starter gets verified three times. Only two of those can be done digitally.

Patient identity verification: how much proof is enough

The OneID Team® — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 10:12:30 GMT

What a patient should have to prove before you show them a calendar

Healthcare staffing compliance: onboarding agency nurses

The OneID Team® — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 10:06:37 GMT

The check that stops your bank nurse starting on Saturday