UK study finds children easily bypass online age checks, some using fake mustaches
By
Brandon Vigliarolo
A baker's-dozen of insight crammed into one ring.
Summary
UK research from Internet Matters reveals that age verification measures required under the Online Safety Act are easily bypassed by children, with 46% of kids saying age checks are easy to circumvent and nearly a third admitting they've successfully gotten around them. Some children report that even simple tricks like drawing on a fake mustache can fool age detection software, highlighting significant gaps in online safety enforcement.
Key quotes
· 3 pulled46% say age checks are easy to bypass, and nearly a third admit getting around them
Like keeping booze away from teenagers or nudie mags out of the hands of young lads, slapping a big 'restricted, 18+' label on parts of the internet hasn't stopped kids testing the limits
Those limits, according to UK online safety group Internet Matters, are easy to sidestep
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