How to Create an Age Gate in Webflow

Webflow is a powerful tool for building websites, and with its intuitive interface and versatile features, you can create various elements, including an age gate. An age gate is a common feature used to restrict access to certain content or websites based on the user's age. If you're creating a website that includes age-restricted content, such as alcohol, gambling, or adult materials, an age gate is essential for compliance with legal regulations. In this tutorial, we will learn how to create an age gate using Webflow, which enables you to block users under a specific age from accessing your website until they confirm their age.

Understanding the Age Gate Functionality

An age gate typically consists of an overlay that appears when a user attempts to access the website. The user is prompted to enter their birthdate, and if they are over the required age, the overlay is removed, allowing them access to the site. However, if the user is under the specified age, they are restricted from entering the site.

Setting Up the Age Gate Page

To create an age gate in Webflow, you will need to set up a dedicated page for the age gate. This page will be where users are redirected until they confirm their age. Here are the steps to set up the age gate page:

1. Create a new page in your Webflow project specifically for the age gate.

2. On this page, set up the structure of the age gate, ensuring there is no other content present. This is important as the age gate should cover the entire size of the page. Therefore, the page should only consist of the age gate elements.

Adding Form Elements Without the Form Structure

In the age gate, you'll need to include form elements for users to input their birthdate. However, as demonstrated in the tutorial, you can add native select fields without the need for a form structure in Webflow. Here's how you can achieve this:

• Rather than dragging and dropping the select field directly onto the page, hold down the "Alt" key while dragging the select field onto the page. This bypasses the requirement for placing the select field within a form.

Important IDs for Select Fields

For the select fields used to capture the user's birthdate, it's crucial to assign the correct IDs to these elements. In the tutorial, the following IDs were used for the select fields:

• Month select field ID: verify_month
• Day select field ID: verify_day
• Year select field ID: verify_year

These IDs are essential for targeting and retrieving the user's input for age verification.

Implementing the JavaScript Code

To enforce the age restriction functionality and control access to the site, custom JavaScript code is essential. Here are the key aspects of the JavaScript code used for the age gate:

1. Checking for Valid Age Cookie: The JavaScript code checks for the existence of a valid age cookie. If the user does not have a valid age cookie, they are redirected to the age gate page.

2. Age Verification on Submit: When the user interacts with the age gate by submitting their birthdate, the JavaScript captures the selected values and converts them into a readable date for further processing.

3. Validating User's Age: The JavaScript contains a function to calculate the user's age based on the birthdate entered. If the user's age is less than 21, an error message is displayed, and access to the site is restricted. However, if the user's age is 21 or above, a valid age cookie is set, granting access to the site.

Customizing the Error Message

The JavaScript code also includes functionality to display an error message when a user under the age of 21 attempts to access the site. The error message is designed to be customizable, allowing you to modify its appearance and behavior based on your website's design and user experience requirements.

Integrating JavaScript Libraries

In the tutorial, the JavaScript code incorporates the use of the JasCookie library to simplify working with cookies. This library facilitates the handling of cookies in the age gate functionality, enhancing the user experience and ensuring smooth management of age verification processes.

Implementing the Age Gate Functionality

Once the necessary HTML structure and JavaScript code are in place, the age gate effectively prevents access to the site for users under the specified age. The age gate page serves as a checkpoint, ensuring that only users who meet the age requirements can proceed to view the site's content.

Conclusion

Building an age gate in Webflow requires a combination of structural design within the Webflow editor and the implementation of custom JavaScript code to enforce age verification. By following the steps outlined in this tutorial, you can create a robust age gate for your website, ensuring compliance with age-specific content restrictions and providing a seamless user experience for your visitors. As you continue to develop your skills in Webflow, you can expand on this knowledge to implement other custom features and functionalities within your web projects.