>> Being entirely against age verification is not a good stance I think

I think the problem is that the internet has existed for quite a while without it. I'm sure there were similar complaints from people when you suddenly needed to pass a test to drive a car or when insurance became mandatory.

>> There are systems that preserve privacy while still making it possible to verify you're old enough to use a service.

What are these systems?

There are some funny videos of people in pubs in the UK discussing how bad the incoming drink drive rules were, it's a similar deal I think. No one likes being restricted from something they've been allowed to do.