Who gets in? The Policy Dilemma of Age-Gating

Panel
Orangerie
Wednesday 20.05 — 08:45 - 10:00

Organising Institution

Brussels Privacy Hub

Belgium

The Brussels Privacy Hub is an internationally recognised research centre at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, embedded within the broader LSTS research group. It brings together experts in privacy, data protection and digital rights. Its multidisciplinary team of academics, practitioners and policy advisers works closely with EU institutions, NGOs and global partners to advance impactful research and support informed policymaking.

Academic 2
Business 2
Policy 2

Strict age-gating measures are increasingly promoted in digital policy debates as tools for child protection. When applied rigidly, however, they can create barriers to participation that extend beyond their intended purpose. By segmenting users along fixed age thresholds, such measures may restrict access to information, constrain the circulation of experience and informal learning, and disrupt intergenerational exchange that underpin open digital environments. At the same time, strict age-gating can weaken privacy, discouraging engagement with sensitive yet lawful content, particularly among younger and vulnerable users. Yet, exposure to diverse perspectives and supportive online socialisation play an important role in wellbeing. This panel examines the proportionality and systemic effects of age-gating, drawing on recent Australian policy developments, including social media bans, alongside industry-led age assurance practices. It engages young people and psychologists to assess the value of peer-based and cross-generational socialisation online.

Questions to be answered

How proportionate are age-gating and age assurance requirements in achieving child protection objectives, and what systemic effects do they have on access to information and participation online?
What are the unintended consequences of strict age-gating for experience/knowledge circulation? How do they affect anonymity, privacy, and well-being?
What are the lessons learned from early adopters of social media bans and age assurance technologies?
What alternative policy and design approaches could better balance child protection, privacy, and inclusive socialisation?

Moderator

Sophie Stalla-Bourdillon

VUB - Belgium

Sophie spent a decade as a tenured track professor of Information Technology Law and Data Governance at the University of Southampton, where she held the Chair in IT Law and Data Governance until 2022. She is now visiting professor within Southampton Law School. In 2023, she became Co-Director of the Brussels Privacy Hub (BPH), an academic research hub at VUB within the wider LSTS research group. Alongside her academic career, Sophie has extensive industry experience, having worked at Immuta for six years, where she led the Legal Engineering team. In this role, she focused on the legal and ethical implications of data operations in analytics and AI environments, as well as the impacts of compliance automation. Sophie has served as Editor-in-Chief of the Computer Law and Security Review, a leading international journal of technology law, and is now Honorary Consulting Editor.

Speaker

Martijn Van Heel

VUB - Belgium

Martijn Van Heel is an assistant professor in developmental psychology at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. His research focuses on the impact of parenting, digital technology, and cultural background in the (sub)optimal development of children.

Speaker

Camille Biot

Forum des Jeunes - Europe

Camille Biot is project officer at Forum des Jeunes since 2022. The Forum des Jeunes is the national youth council of Belgium for French-speaking youth aged between 16 and 30. They work on various thematics, engaging young people in projects and collecting their voices to make sure they are heard not only by policymakers but also by the media and civil society in general. They have recently worked on youth and biodiversity, on toxic masculinity speeches online and on youth and democracy. You can find their official publications on their social networks or on their official website.