The Electronic Software Ratings Board (ESRB) has submitted a proposal to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to begin using facial recognition software to prevent underage users from playing Mature games.

In their letter, the ESRB explains to the FTC how their proposal would allegedly be compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) and enforce age restrictions for video games with facial recognition software.

Called “Privacy-Protective Facial Age Estimation”, the software would be used to require parents to verify their ages in order to let children play mature games.

The language the ESRB uses seems to imply the target of the software would be parents. Similar to how for decades websites have had age gates saying something like “if you’re under 13 have a parent help you sign up” it seems the ESRB is using similar language and assuming young children would honestly request their parent’s assistance.

With this facial recognition, it would no longer be an option and parents would be compelled to provide pictures of their faces to not only allow their children to play mature games, but also to play these games themselves.

Based on the intended application method, this expectation of compliance with facial-recognition opens the door for the ESRB to collect alternative forms of verification if they won’t submit to facial recognition.

Until now, video game purchases have been done either online or in-store. Online sales are regulated by the fact that the buyer would have a digital method of payment, implying a level of financial responsibility associated with adults. Meanwhile brick-and-mortar stores can simply request IDs from buyers.

This ESRB proposal represents a trend in recent years to subject internet users to growing surveillance through ID-gating websites and other online resources.