age assurance attribute

The definition, in our words

An attribute that indicates a person is a certain age, is over or under an age, or falls inside an age range.

Why the distinction matters

The framework lists four forms: an actual age, an over-age, an under-age and a range. The first three can be held as a single value; a range is a pair. The form decides what a comparison can measure.

How to use it in a comparison

Record which form the decision needs. A provider that returns a range cannot be scored on a binary over-18 threshold without a conversion rule, and the conversion must be stated.

Where it changes the evidence

A definition is not decoration. It decides which test is meaningful and which result can be compared. Where a supplier's material uses the term differently, the comparison should quote the supplier's use and place it beside this one. A difference in definition is a finding about comparability, and it belongs in the report rather than in a footnote.

The analysis units on this site use the term as the framework defines it. Where a unit turns the term into a question, the question is written on the unit page and the evidence artefact is named. The kit repeats both, so a row in the register and a paragraph in the report use the same meaning.