When the UK government introduced stricter age verification checks under the Act Internet Safety , the aim was to keep children away from harmful content. But in practice, the system is already showing cracks—and the most revealing insight comes from the very users it is supposed to protect. Children are bypassing age checks , and often with surprising ease.
According to a new report by the Internet Matters, almost half of children (46%) believe that age verification systems can be easily bypassed, while only 17% find this process difficult.
How do children bypass age checks?
This perception is not theoretical. It is based on real behavior, common knowledge, and increasingly creative circumventions. From simply entering a fake date of birth to identity someone else's, children have developed a toolkit to circumvent the techniques.
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Children have reported submitting altered images, using artificial intelligence (AI)-generated faces, or even drawing beards on their faces to fool facial recognition systems. In one striking example, a parent described catching her child using makeup to look older—tricking the system. “I caught my son using eyebrow pencil to draw a mustache on his face, and the system verified him as 15,” said the mother of a 12-year-old boy.
Detour is the rule, not the exception
The report reveals that almost one in three children (32%) admitted to bypassing age restrictions in the last two months alone. Older children are even more likely to do so, showing how digital literacy often translates into bypassing skills.
The most common methods:
- Entering a fake date of birth (13%)
- Using someone else's login details (9%)
- Accessing platforms through someone else's device (8%)
Despite widespread concerns about VPNs, they play a relatively small role. Only 7% of children reported using them to bypass restrictions, suggesting that simpler, low-effort tactics remain the preferred route.
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Verification methods are not effective
Even when children try to follow the rules, the technology doesn’t always cooperate. Some reported being incorrectly identified as older— or younger— by facial recognition systems. In cases where they were identified as underage, enforcement was often inconsistent or temporary.
One child described being blocked from live streaming on a platform for just 10 minutesbefore being allowed to try again. This inconsistency creates a void where persistence pays off. It’s the logic: “If at first they don’t, just try again.”
Dangers from adults too
Perhaps the most worrying finding isn’t that children can bypass age checks—it’s that adults can. The report cites fears that adults may exploit these same weaknesses to gain access to sites intended for younger users. In some cases, this includes using images or videos of children to fool verification systems.
There are even reports of adults taking over accounts registered to children to integrate into youth platforms. This undermines the whole premise of age verification. Instead of protecting children, flawed systems may inadvertently expose them to greater risk.
Adding another layer of complexity, parents themselves are sometimes complicit. Some 26% of parents admitted to allowing their children to bypass age controls, with 17% actively helping do so. The justification is often practical. Parents feel they understand the risks and trust their child’s judgment.
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“I’ve helped my son get past them. It was to play a game, and I knew the game, and I was happy and confident that I was okay with him playing it,” said the mother of a 13-year-old. But that undermines the consistency of enforcement.
If rules vary from household to household, platform-level protections lose their effectiveness. Interestingly, the data also suggests that communication matters. Children who regularly discuss their online activity with their parents are less likely to bypass restrictions than those who don’t.
Why do children bypass restrictions?
In many cases, children are simply trying to gain access to social networks (34%), gaming communities (30%) or messaging apps (29%) that their peers are already using. This reflects a fundamental tension where age verification systems try to impose boundaries in environments where social participation is the norm. Age verification is often positioned as a cornerstone of online safety.
But in practice, it proves to be more of a hindrance than a protection. Kids understand the systems. They share methods. They adapt quickly. And until the technology—and its enforcement—become significantly more robust, age checks may offer more reassurance than real protection.
source: thecyberexpress.com
