UK think tank warns mandatory age verification could increase risks to children online
By
Bill Goodwin
Baker's choice. Dense with flavour, light on filler.
Summary
The Foundation for Information Policy Research (FIPR) has raised concerns about UK government proposals to mandate strong age verification for online services, warning that such measures could actually increase risks to children, including blackmail and abuse. The think tank argues that proposed age verification solutions may exacerbate the harms they aim to prevent, rather than mitigate children's exposure to harmful content and addictive app design. The warning comes as UK technology secretary Liz Kendall signals that "drastic" action is needed to protect young people from social media harms.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledThe Foundation for Information Policy Research (FIPR) warned that many of the proposed solutions for age verification will exacerbate the harms they are trying to prevent
could expose children to risks of blackmail and abuse
drastic action was needed to protect young people from social media
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