age-gate

American  

[eyj-geyt] / ˈeɪdʒˌgeɪt /

Or age gate

verb (used with or without object)

age-gated, age-gating

1. to restrict a user's access to (a website, app, or type of content) if they are under a certain age.

   The website age-gates videos that have been marked mature.

   The law would require all internet providers to age-gate in some form.

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noun

age-gates plural

1. a digital form designed to restrict a user's access to a website, app, or type of content if what they input indicates that they are under a certain age.

   Users are required to be at least 13 years old, but younger kids can easily sidestep the age-gate by using a false birthday.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• age-gates
  plural

Etymology

Origin of age-gate

First recorded in 2005–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

age-gate age-gated age-gating

Children's minister Josh MacAlister told the BBC there were "options there about whether we could age-gate VPN use, which would be really welcome".

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026

But news site Tech Crunch suggested it might require social-media companies "age verifying all users and thereby putting the British social web behind a universal age-gate".

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2022

Snap also plans to give publishers a tool in February that will allow them to age-gate content, presenting different stories to users over and under 18, according to the New York Times.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 24, 2017

Reddit users found themselves locked out of age-gated content without first submitting a photo of their government ID or uploading a selfie to a third-party vendor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026

They could also remake the internet for millions of adults, ushering in a tectonic cultural shift to a stricter, age-gated online world.

From New York Times ● Apr. 30, 2023

The company has also launched an age-gated website that mimics the app.

From The Verge ● Aug. 30, 2019

Last year, YouTubers such as Rowan Ellis, Tyler Oakley, Stevie Boebi, and NeonFiona spoke up about their content being hidden, demonetized, or age-gated.

From The Verge ● Jun. 4, 2018

A court verdict against the platforms may bring changes to age-gating and the ability of strangers to interact with young users through platform messages and chat spaces.

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026

This is the first use of age-gating at scale for any social platform, and the second and third-order effects are still hard to gauge, even for Roblox.

From Barron's ● May 4, 2026

You may flee Discord if you wish, but chances are high that every viable replacement will soon incorporate such age-gating features.

From Slate ● Feb. 11, 2026

In June 2018, Ross accused YouTube of age-gating and demonetizing his videos simply because he used the term “transgender” in his video titles and metadata.

From The Verge ● Aug. 14, 2019

This new study on “Why Parents Help Their Children Lie to Facebook about Age,” reveals that many parents are confused by COPPA-induced age-gating of the Internet.

From Forbes ● Nov. 6, 2011