Unprecedented study maps age verification practices in digital services in Brazil

Survey by CGI.br and NIC.br was presented during the event on the Digital ECA in Brasília, which also marked the launch of the TIC Kids Online Brazil 2025 book

São Paulo, March 18, 2026 – An unprecedented study, carried out by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br) and the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br), reveals that most digital services (21 out of 25 analyzed) popular among the youth audience in the country still do not adopt age verification mechanisms at the time of registration, including those aimed at the adult audience. In most of the cases analyzed, age verification occurs later, to unlock specific features, such as live streaming or monetization.

A preview of the study results "Age Verification Practices in 25 Digital Services Used by Children in Brazil", a survey conducted by the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br), was presented this Wednesday (18), in Brasília, during the event "Digital ECA - Protection of Children and Adolescents: Global and Multisectoral Perspectives for the Implementation of the Law". On the occasion, Cetic.br also launched the TIC Kids Online Brazil 2025 survey book.

The study analyzed publicly available governance documents from 25 platforms of various segments, ranging from social networks and games to betting services, in the scenario prior to the enactment of the Digital ECA. In force from this Wednesday (18), the new law requires that information technology services aimed at children and adolescents in the country, or likely to be accessed by them, adopt effective age verification and parental supervision methods.

To enable age verification (which includes mechanisms of age verification and estimation), almost half of the platforms (11 out of 25), especially social networks and generative artificial intelligence tools, resort to outsourced services. Among the identified age verification methods, the submission of an official document is the most used. As for age estimation methods, the most common is the selfie in photo or video.

The survey also indicated discrepancies between the minimum ages informed by digital services and those indicated by application stores. Although platforms aimed at adults, such as online games and marketplaces, establish a minimum age of 18, in some cases, usage is possible by persons below this age with parental consent.

The study also showed that despite most services (15 out of 25) offering parental supervision mechanisms, activation is often optional and must be actively carried out by the guardians.

Another critical point is the need to expand transparency practices: only six of the 25 services evaluated publish reports with data about Brazil, and only one of them details the application of its minimum age policy. The survey also highlighted the difficulty of accessing information about service usage rules by children and adolescents, with policies scattered across multiple pages (an average of 22 per service), often unavailable in Portuguese (40% have content on the subject in other languages) and written in language difficult to understand for users.

"One of the central axes of the study was to verify the integrity of the information provided by digital services in Brazil. It is essential that data on age protection is communicated with clarity and accessibility, allowing more informed and effective parental supervision,” highlights Fábio Senne, General Coordinator of Research at Cetic.br | NIC.br.

"This survey was developed to support the debate about the implementation of the Digital ECA and to offer a clear understanding of the current scenario. This initiative is part of a broader set of actions by CGI.br and NIC.br aimed at providing technical evidence that supports the effective application of the law. Our commitment is to foster a safer and more responsible digital ecosystem for children and adolescents in Brazil,” states Juliano Cappi, manager of the Digital Public Policies Advisory at CGI.br | NIC.br.

The study is referenced by the methodology adopted in the technical paper "Age assurance practices of 50 online services used by children", published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2025. All information was collected between January 10 and 30 of this year, from documents made publicly available by services in Brazil, such as terms of use, codes of conduct, and other specific documents on age verification, totaling 550 pages analyzed.

For more details about the study, visit: https://cetic.br/media/analises/Ceticbr_Estudo_Afericao_Idade_Servicos_Digitais_Criancas.pdf.

TIC Kids Online 2025

The event also marked the launch of the TIC Kids Online Brazil 2025 book, a survey that addresses Internet use by children and adolescents aged 9 to 17 in the country. The publication presents the latest data on opportunities and risks in the digital environment, detailing topics such as the most common online activities, exposure to sensitive content like sexual content and advertising, the development of digital skills, and parental mediation strategies.

In addition to an analysis of the survey results, the book offers a methodological and data collection report and articles produced by specialists from different areas on related topics.

Established as a national and international reference, TIC Kids Online Brazil allows tracking the evolution of Internet use by the 9 to 17 population since 2012. Its results provide an evidence-based diagnosis to guide the formulation of public policies, educational strategies, and awareness actions.

"TIC Kids Online Brazil constitutes an essential source of evidence production for the formulation, monitoring, and evaluation of public policies aimed at the digital protection of children and adolescents on digital service platforms. By combining methodological rigor, comparable historical series, and indicators on opportunities, risks, and digital skills, the survey enables decision-makers to develop more effective interventions, oriented by the promotion, protection, and guarantee of children's rights in the digital environment," emphasizes Alexandre Barbosa, manager of Cetic.br | NIC.br.

Access the book at https://cetic.br/pt/publicacao/pesquisa-sobre-o-uso-da-internet-por-criancas-e-adolescentes-no-brasil-tic-kids-online-brasil-2025/.

About Cetic.br
The Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br), of the NIC.br, is responsible for producing indicators and statistics on Internet access and use in Brazil, disseminating periodic analyses and information about the network's development in the country. Cetic.br | NIC.br is also a Regional Study Center under the auspices of UNESCO and will celebrate 20 years of operation in 2025. More information at https://cetic.br/.   

About the Brazilian Network Information Center – NIC.br
The Brazilian Network Information Center — NIC.br (https://nic.br/) is a private, non-profit civil entity responsible for operating the .br domain, as well as distributing IP numbers and registering Autonomous Systems in the country. NIC.br implements the decisions and projects of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee - CGI.br since 2005, and all funds raised are from activities of an eminently private nature. It conducts actions and projects that bring benefits to Internet infrastructure in Brazil. NIC.br includes:  Registro.br (https://registro.br), CERT.br (https://cert.br/), Ceptro.br (https://ceptro.br/), Cetic.br (https://cetic.br/), IX.br (https://ix.br/), and Ceweb.br (https://ceweb.br), as well as projects like Internetsegura.br (https://internetsegura.br) and Portal de Boas Práticas para Internet no Brasil (https://bcp.nic.br/). It also houses the office of the W3C Chapter São Paulo (https://w3c.br/).   

About the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee – CGI.br
The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee is responsible for establishing strategic guidelines related to the use and development of the Internet in Brazil, coordinates and integrates all Internet service initiatives in the country, promoting technical quality, innovation, and dissemination of offered services. Based on the principles of multistakeholderism and transparency, CGI.br represents a democratic Internet governance model, praised internationally, where all sectors of society participate equitably in its decisions. One of its formulations is the 10 Principles for Internet Governance and Use (https://cgi.br/resolucoes/documento/2009/003). More information at https://cgi.br/.  

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