It's sad, but it's true: there are too many avenues through which underage users can access inappropriate content online.

And no, I'm not talking expressly about adult sites ...

Believe it or not, there are a variety of - moral, ethical, legal, monetary, etc - reasons for needing to restrict access to your content.

Just a few examples:

• your website contains adult content or other topics that are unsuitable for children
• you sell or promote anything alcohol, drug or cigarette-related which it shouldn’t be viewed by anyone too young to purchase
• your site offers sex- or dating-related content/services
• your site contains violence or other content deemed inappropriate for younger audiences
• you offer a contests, memberships or other forms of sign-ups that requires the winner/member to be of a certain age
• your services require a valid credit card or driver’s license

And so on ... So yes, many site owners should or may need to ask their site visitors for age verification before accessing content ...

Hence the question: how are you supposed to keep out those who aren’t old enough to view your content or to purchase from your storefront?

Well, there are two common solutions: you can create an age disclaimer page or you can use a plugin to set up an age verification system.

For an age disclaimer page you won't need any tools or plugins. You simply need to "adjust" your homepage ...

• adding a note that mentions the age restriction; for example, “Are you 18 or older?” and once they click “Yes” they’ll then be taken to the rest of the site
• adding a form that requires the visitor to enter their birthdate for confirmation
• adding a specific login or sign-up requirement so that you can manage which visitors can actually gain access to your website

Obviously, an age disclaimer page won’t be enough to deter underage visitors from clicking through to see the rest of your website, but it will at least serve as a first warning. In fact, an age verification system - any age verification system - can only work so long as your visitors are honest about their age ...

The plugin-based solution won't require a separate home page disclaimer warning. Instead, it will help you to create a gated entryway that will provide a general statement regarding your site’s content, an age verifier, and an acceptance of the rules of use and access.

Now the truth is, that are many fancy, paid third-party plugins out there, and I've seen many site owners spending serious amounts of money to purchase complex, speed-killer tools ... This is why I've decided to create this short tutorial where I will show you a small, free plugin that will allow you to add an age verification system to your Wordpress website.

Interested?

Let's do this!