Yoti age estimation approved by German regulator KJM for the highest level of age assurance covering 18+ adult content

profile picture Amy Colville 2 min read

We are delighted to announce that Yoti’s Facial Age Estimation technology has now been approved by the German regulator, KJM, for the highest level of age assurance. This means it can now be used for 18+ adult content.  

In November 2021, Yoti’s Facial Age Estimation technology was approved for 16+ (erotic) content so today’s news is a significant new development as it demonstrates that our technology has passed the highest levels of regulatory scrutiny in Germany. This is the first time age estimation has been approved for use by any regulator at the highest level for the sensitive area of adult content access. It potentially sets a precedent for approval wider throughout Europe and in the other jurisdictions which are reviewing age gating for adult content access.

Germany has one of the most stringent regulatory environments in the world, in particular when it comes to accessing adult content online.  Previous to this announcement, adult websites had to verify the age of their users by asking them to use a physical identity document, either in person (by buying a card from a store), via an app or via a video call.

According to the KJM, under the German regulations, regulated businesses must set an age threshold with an agreed year buffer of 5 years. This means that for websites that require you to be over 18, Yoti’s technology must estimate you to be at least 23 years old.

Yoti’s current margin of error is 1.52 years for ages 13 – 19. Our True Positive Rate* (TPR) for 13-17 year olds being correctly estimated as under 23 is 99.65%. This gives regulators a very high level of confidence that nobody underage will be able to access adult content.

Yoti’s liveness detection also ensures that under age website visitors will not be able to use the photo of an older person to access age restricted content.  

To find out more about how our Age Estimation technology works please read our most recent white paper.

* True Positive Rate – the probability that an actual positive will test positive, such as an under 18 year old is correctly estimated to be under 23.