Source: Fortune.com
Summary
A report by Internet Matters found that a third of UK children have bypassed age verification systems to access online content, with some using creative methods such as drawing facial hair to fool age-estimation technology. The report also found that nearly half of children have experienced harm online, including exposure to violent and hateful content. The UK government has announced plans to impose age or functionality restrictions on social media for under-16s. The report calls for online services to be built on safety-by-design principles and for stronger age assurance measures.
Our Reading
The numbers tell one story. Children are finding ways to bypass age verification systems, with 32% admitting to doing so in a two-month period. The most common method was entering a fake birthday, followed by using someone else’s login or device. Some children even physically altered their appearance to deceive the technology, with one mother reporting that her son used an eyebrow pencil to draw a moustache and was verified as 15 years old. The report found that parents are not always working against these workarounds, with a quarter admitting to allowing their child to bypass age checks.
The strategy enters a familiar phase. Companies are under pressure to improve their age verification systems, with the UK government announcing plans to impose age or functionality restrictions on social media for under-16s. The report calls for online services to be built on safety-by-design principles and for stronger age assurance measures. The question remains, will these measures be enough to keep children safe online?
Author: Evan Null
