Age verification laws, primarily aimed at restricting minors’ access to adult content or social media, can indirectly affect educational platforms like Literably, though the impact is less severe compared to adult-oriented or social media sites.

Here’s a focused look at how these laws influence educational platforms, based on available data and trends:

Compliance Costs and Technical Challenges

Educational platforms catering to K-12 students may face increased compliance burdens if age verification laws extend to platforms “likely to be accessed by minors.”

For instance, laws like California’s Age-Appropriate Design Code Act (AADC), effective July 2024, require platforms to estimate user ages with a “reasonable level of certainty” and conduct Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) if minors are likely users.

This could mean integrating age assurance technologies (e.g., facial age estimation or third-party ID verification), which are costly and complex to implement, especially for smaller ed-tech companies.

Literably, focused on K-8 reading assessments, might need to verify student ages to ensure age-appropriate content or restrict access to certain features, increasing operational costs.

Privacy and Data Security Risks

Age verification often requires collecting sensitive data, such as government-issued IDs or biometric information, which raises privacy concerns.

Educational platforms handling minors’ data are already subject to strict regulations like the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in the US, which applies to users under 13.

Adding age verification layers could create “data honeypots” vulnerable to breaches, as seen in past incidents like the 2015 Ashley Madison hack.

For educators, which may record student audio and track reading metrics, any additional data collection for age verification could heighten privacy risks, requiring robust security measures to maintain trust with schools and parents.

User Experience and Accessibility

Cumbersome age verification processes can deter users.

For educational platforms, this might mean reduced engagement from students, parents, or teachers if verification adds friction to accessing tools like Literably’s reading assessments.

Some laws, like the UK’s Online Safety Act, mandate age-appropriate experiences, which could force platforms to limit features (e.g., disabling interactive elements for younger users) or block access entirely if compliance is too burdensome.

For marginalized students without access to government IDs (2.6 million US adults lack photo ID) alternative methods like facial age estimation might be needed, but these are not universally accepted and can exclude users.

Traffic Redistribution and Workarounds

While educational platforms are less likely to see the dramatic traffic drops seen in adult content sites (e.g., Pornhub’s 80% drop in Louisiana), restrictive age verification could push users to unregulated or alternative platforms.

Students might seek less compliant ed-tech tools or bypass restrictions using VPNs, which saw a 967% surge in Utah after content bans.

For educators, this could mean losing users to non-compliant competitors if verification processes are too strict or if schools opt for simpler, unregulated tools.

Alternatives to Strict Verification

Critics suggest that education-focused alternatives, like enhanced parental controls or digital literacy programs, could mitigate the need for invasive age verification on educational platforms.

For educators, integrating parental consent mechanisms or partnering with schools to verify student ages through existing records could reduce reliance on third-party verification, preserving user trust and accessibility.

Specific Impact on Literably

As a K-8 reading assessment tool, Literably is likely already aligned with COPPA and school-based authentication systems, reducing the direct impact of age verification laws.

However, if laws like the AADC or the UK’s Online Safety Act expand to require stricter age checks, Literably could face increased costs for compliance, potential privacy risks from data collection, and challenges ensuring seamless access for students.

Schools, as primary users, might bear the burden of verifying student ages, which could slow adoption if processes are too complex.

The push for age verification stems from concerns about minors accessing harmful content, but its application to educational platforms is often incidental.

The Open Technology Institute notes that these laws may not effectively protect youth and could drive users to less-regulated platforms, a risk for ed-tech if compliance costs push smaller providers out.

A balanced approach—using risk-based frameworks or school-mediated verification—could minimize disruption while ensuring safety.