Implementing Age Verification for Programmatic Ads with the Adlane RTD Provider in Prebid.js
As regulations tighten and brand safety standards increase, publishers are under growing pressure to ensure their ads reach only appropriate audiences—especially when it comes to age-restricted content. Traditional checks are often slow, unreliable, or poorly integrated into programmatic workflows, risking revenue loss or regulatory issues.
Prebid.js now offers modules like the Adlane Real-Time Data (RTD) Provider to automate and streamline age verification directly within the bidding process. This article explains how the Adlane RTD Provider works, its integration details, and why it matters to publishers seeking both compliance and maximized yield.
Understanding the Role of Adlane RTD Provider in Prebid.js
The Adlane RTD Provider acts as a specialized module within Prebid.js, automatically fetching and embedding age verification status in the bid stream. This enables real-time, privacy-safe signaling of user eligibility for age-gated ad campaigns. Its core function is to append an age verification object to the OpenRTB request, informing buyers whether the user has confirmed their age (usually 21+), along with optional metadata like verification date and a unique ID.
A typical use case: if a publisher runs ads for alcohol brands, they must avoid serving these to underage users. With Adlane RTD, any decision by the user to confirm or decline their age is attached to every bid request, ensuring only compliant ads are considered during the auction.
Why Real-Time Data Matters for Age-Gated Inventory
Buyers increasingly demand proof of compliance for age-sensitive verticals. Passing real-time age verification data at the bid level helps unlock premium demand that would otherwise be blocked or misclassified, maximizing monetization while meeting regulatory requirements.
Configuring and Integrating Adlane RTD with Prebid.js
Implementation is straightforward for those familiar with building custom Prebid.js packages. The Adlane module must be included at build time and configured in your site’s Prebid.js setup. Publishers manage its behavior using setConfig, specifying its use as a data provider within the realTimeData configuration block.
Basic Integration Steps
1. Add the module to your Prebid.js build using a build command that includes ‘adlaneRtdProvider’.
2. Update your Prebid.js setConfig to enable Adlane, typically with ‘waitForIt: true’ to instruct the auction to delay until age data is resolved.
Example:
pbjs.setConfig({
realTimeData: {
auctionDelay: 1000,
dataProviders: [{ name: ‘adlane’, waitForIt: true }]
}
});
Where Age Data Comes From
Adlane RTD prioritizes sources as follows: first, it seeks age status from the AdlCmp API (if running); if unavailable, it checks local storage for a previous age decision. This dual approach ensures robust data retrieval even if a site visitor has already confirmed their age in another session or on a related property.
How Age Verification Data Flows Through the Bid Stream
Understanding how the data is structured in the bid request is crucial for troubleshooting and compliance reviews. When Adlane RTD runs, it adds an ‘age_verification’ object under the ‘regs.ext’ section of the OpenRTB payload. This object conveys the user’s age status (accepted/declined), an optional unique verification ID, and a decision date.
Concrete Example: GAM and Downstream Implications
Suppose a publisher routes Prebid.js auctions to Google Ad Manager (GAM). With Adlane enabled, GAM receives explicit age confirmation data, so publisher ad rules and SSPs can filter appropriately. If not configured correctly, auctions could include invalid impressions, risking policy breaches and revenue clawbacks.
Common Integration Pitfalls and Publisher Best Practices
Mistakes in setup can have immediate operational impact. Forgetting to set ‘waitForIt: true’ may cause auctions to run before age status is determined, risking compliance issues. Delays set too high may affect latency and bidding performance. Data privacy and proper user messaging must be considered, especially if relying on local storage.
Troubleshooting and Monitoring
– Confirm the ‘age_verification’ object appears correctly in your bid requests (use browser dev tools or server logs).
– Monitor the percentage of auctions waiting on age checks; optimize ‘auctionDelay’ so it’s long enough for most users, but not detrimental to page performance.
– Coordinate with your SSP and direct demand partners to ensure they respect and act on the age verification signals.
What this means for publishers
Integrating Adlane RTD into your Prebid.js stack streamlines age gating for programmatic demand, reducing manual work and automating compliance. This means fewer rejected deals from buyers demanding age confirmation, greater access to premium age-restricted campaigns, and a clearer audit trail for regulators. However, it introduces workflow changes—particularly the need for tighter auction timing and transparent user consent for storing age verification data.
Practical takeaway
To maximize both compliance and revenue, publishers should integrate the Adlane RTD module proactively wherever age-restricted ads are part of their monetization strategy. Audit your existing age verification flows, ensure ‘waitForIt’ is enabled, and routinely test that age data correctly passes through the auction pipeline to all downstream platforms, including GAM.
Keep an eye on auction delays to balance verification accuracy with page speed. Collaborate closely with your ad operations and legal teams to align user consent flows, and maintain clear monitoring dashboards to catch issues early. Leveraging modules like Adlane transforms age-gating from a bottleneck into a revenue accelerator—provided it’s implemented cleanly and monitored continuously.
