Report finds UK children easily circumvent online age checks

Children in the UK have found simple ways to bypass online age verification systems, in some cases using nothing more than drawn-on moustaches, according to The Register.

The UK’s Online Safety Act has been in force for several months, but its age-checking measures are proving ineffective, the publication notes. A survey conducted by Internet Matters found that current restrictions are failing to properly protect children online.

Nearly half of the children surveyed described age verification systems as easy to bypass. Around one-third admitted they had already successfully tricked such systems.

The methods turned out to be surprisingly simple. Some children reportedly enter fake birth dates, show video game characters to the camera, or draw moustaches on their faces to appear older.

Parents are also contributing to the issue. About 17% of adults actively help children bypass restrictions, while another 9% knowingly ignore it.

As a result, half of the surveyed children said they had recently encountered harmful content online — including many who never attempted to bypass the controls themselves.

Internet Matters CEO Rachel Huggins called on both the government and the tech industry to introduce stricter protections. According to her, online safety measures should be built directly into digital services from the start.