We’ve always taken our responsibility to keep vaping products out of the hands of minors extremely seriously. With the latest addition of in-store Biometrics, we’re stepping up our age verification to the next level.
With the Government’s consultation on ‘Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping’ entering its final week, it seems like there’s a new story in the media everyday about the use of vapes by our nation’s youth.
While we certainly acknowledge that the issue of youth vaping is one that needs to be tackled, we also recognise that a lot more could be done regarding enforcing the rules that are already in place.
It is already illegal to sell vapes to minors, and reputable vape retailers such as ourselves do everything in our power to ensure that we never sell our products to anyone under the age of 18.
Vape UK conforms to Challenge 25
At our Brighton store, we provide robust training for all of our colleagues on the shop floor to ensure they challenge anyone that looks under 25.
As much as we’d like to believe that this is 100% successful, there is no accounting for human error. How old you look is completely subjective - if you asked a group of people at a party to guess your age, you’d likely get a range of answers.
With this in mind, and with the desire to step up our game to combat youth vaping, we knew we needed to turn to technology for help.
Vape UK is using MyCheckr
MyCheckr is an innovative Biometric scanner which will provide us with the next generation of identification technology. The scanners are positioned at our checkouts and perform instant age verification on all of our customers.
The biometric devices clearly show our front of house staff if a manual ID check is recommended.
The red and green screen system is a clear indication to the customer that they have been identified as under 25, which will significantly reduce the instances of abuse our colleagues receive when they ask for ID.
What is biometric age verification?
Biometric age verification uses an algorithm that has been trained using millions of images of faces with their known ages. This means that the algorithm ‘learns’ to recognise specific facial features at different ages, and can estimate the age of new faces based on that knowledge.
The MyCheckr system, from Innovative Technology, has obtained independent certification (ACCS 1:2020 Technical Requirements for Age Estimation Technologies) that confirms that it can be confidently deployed in a Challenge 25 scenario.
The independent test results show that the system underestimates age, on average, by just 0.19 years.
We had the pleasure of seeing the system in action at this year’s UKVIA conference. Vape UK was represented at the event by a diverse team of varying ages, from early 20s to late 40s. MyCheckr quickly and accurately identified which of us were under 25, and which weren’t.
Vape UK’s online age verification process
Our new in store biometrics will give our team confidence that they aren’t mistakenly putting vapes into the hands of minors. However, since the majority of our sales come from our online store, we also need that confidence when we can’t see our customers' faces.
For online age verification, we have been using 1account for some time now, with exceptional results.
Their industry recognised system runs independent checks from the most reliable data sources. When your order is placed, 1account checks your credit record, mobile phone number, UK electoral roll, and/or the UK birth register.
If your age can not be instantly verified from those checks, you will be asked to submit a selfie showing you holding an official piece of ID.
Age verification and data protection
Your privacy is important to us, and we fully comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018.
Neither the in store biometric data, nor the online 1account data, is kept on record, and we do not store copies of any photos or ID we receive.
Furthermore, with our 1account system, once you have passed the age verification checks, you will never need to be checked again, as long as you purchase using the same details.
We're here to help you quit smoking for good
At Vape UK, we pride ourselves on being responsible vaping advocates. We keep up to date with all of the latest news and studies; we supply high quality TPD compliant vaping products; and we are always on hand to offer helpful and honest advice about vaping. Please get in touch if you have any questions for our team.
About the author - Nicola Webster
Nicola Webster works as a researcher, consultant, and content creator for Vape UK. She holds a CIM Level 6 Diploma in Professional Marketing and has developed her skills and knowledge of analytics and research over a 12 year career in product marketing. Her research led approach to campaigns and content writing ensures the articles she writes for Vape UK always have a basis in fact and cut through the noise. A strong advocate for tobacco harm reduction, Nicola is an ex-smoker thanks to vaping and wants others to understand the benefits of vaping compared to smoking. 
