ERA Statement on Online Age Verification 9th October 2012: In response to recent enquiries about the measures retailers take to verify the age of online customers, the Entertainment Retailers Association today made the following statement:

'Retailers have long invested significant time and resources in administering the age ratings schemes which apply to both video and videogames content. We work closely with the Video Standards Council and have been one of the prime movers behind the standardisation of videogames ratings under the PEGI system.

'Training of retail staff to administer the ratings schemes is arguably at a higher level than in any other country in the world. Staff vigilance is complemented by measures such as automated till prompts and over 25 policies to ensure compliance. Significant resources have gone into educating consumers - particularly parents - how the ratings system works and what the various ratings mean.

'Compliance in online sales has to be undertaken by alternative means since by definition the customer cannot be viewed physically. Online retailers do take measures - as far as is practicable - to ensure compliance with the law, as well as to provide information to their customers on age ratings and the law.

'Where age rating information is provided by the supplier online retailers clearly display that  information either via packshots or other means. In practice many online purchases are made via credit cards, which are only issued to adults.

'Retailers continue to explore technical solutions for the verification of age online, but the competing priority of data protection often makes this difficult. For example many debit cards and prepaid or gift cards often have no age information attached and so this information is not available to the retailer.

'Online compliance is not an issue peculiar to entertainment retailers, and applies equally to goods such as medicines, adult entertainment and alcohol.

'ERA encourages all its retailers to ensure that information as to the age rating of any product is made available to their customers but recommends that there is no substitute for parents exercising proper supervision over children's use of the internet, either for mail
order deliveries or online entertainment. '

ENDS

For further information contact Steve Redmond on 07770 924720