What the age gate does#
When someone opens a shop site, the first thing they see is an age gate. It asks the visitor to confirm that they are 20 years old or over. Until they do, the rest of the site stays hidden behind it. This is a simple check at the door, and it means the content is shown only after the visitor has answered the question.
The gate applies to every page in the same way. A visitor who has confirmed their age can move around the site freely, but the gate is the starting point for each new visit. It is a single, clear step. It does not ask for an identity document or any personal details. It records only the visitor's answer to the question.
What the age gate does not do#
An age gate is not a complete answer to every concern about who visits a website. It does not verify a person's age the way a checked document would. A visitor can click through the question without being the adult they claim to be. For this reason, the gate should be seen as one layer of care, not as proof that the site has done everything required of it.
It also does not replace legal advice. Thai rules limit how cannabis may be advertised, so check your plans with a lawyer. An owner should review their own situation before relying on any website, including the wording of the gate and the content of the pages. The gate can make the entry point clearer, but it cannot decide what is allowed.
Why it sits on every page#
The gate appears on every page because a visitor may arrive on any page first. A person might follow a link from a search result or a message and land deep inside the site, not on the home page. If the gate only appeared on the front page, that visitor could see content without passing the check. Placing it across the whole site keeps the rule consistent wherever a visitor begins.
This is a plain design choice. It keeps the behaviour of the site predictable for the owner and for the visitor. Nobody has to wonder whether a particular page is protected. The same check applies everywhere, and the owner can explain it in one sentence to anyone who asks.
The other pages on the site#
Alongside the age gate, every site carries a privacy notice under Thailand's PDPA. The notice is there to tell visitors how their personal information is handled. Every site also has legal pages, which set out the terms for using the site. There is also a credits page that names the sources of the photos and map data used on the site, so the owner can show where each item came from.
These pages are not decoration. They tell a visitor what the site is and how it treats them, and they give the owner a clear record to point to. An owner should review the wording of these pages with a lawyer before publishing them.