UK kids are outsmarting online age checks with felt-tip moustaches and fake IDs, as a new report warns that current safety laws are failing to protect the nation’s youths
Cheeky youngsters are reportedly bypassing the UK’s new internet safety laws using nothing more than a felt-tip pen. Months after the government’s Online Safety Act promised to lock kids out of the web’s darkest corners, it appears the hi-tech barriers are about as effective as a chocolate teapot.
New research has revealed that tech-savvy children are masters of disguise, with some said to be drawing fake moustaches on their faces to hoodwink facial recognition software. According to safety group Internet Matters, the 18-plus digital walls are proving to be little more than a minor speed bump for the TikTok generation.
In a shocking survey of over 1,000 UK parents and children, nearly half (46 percent) of youngsters bragged that age checks were easy to bypass. Only a measly 17 percent admitted they found the systems difficult to fool.
The hacks used by the pint-sized pranksters include drawing on fake facial hair to look older and holding up pictures of video game characters to trick selfie scanners. Entering bogus birth dates and nabbing a parent’s ID card to verify accounts are two other classic moves.
It turns out even some mums and dads are acting like the cool parent who buys their teen a crate of cider, with one in four admitting they help their kids break the rules.
The study found 17 percent of parents actively helped their children dodge age gates, while nine percent simply looked the other way.
Internet Matters said: “When speaking to parents and children about these situations, they described scenarios in which parents felt they understood the risks involved and, based on their knowledge of their child, were confident the activity was safe.”
Despite the new laws, the digital Wild West remains a scary place. Around 49 percent of children confessed they had stumbled across harmful content recently.
Campaigners are now calling on the government to stop playing games and get serious about safety. Internet Matters CEO Rachel Huggins warned that the current “add-on” safety measures simply aren’t cutting it.
She said: “Stronger action is needed from both government and industry to ensure that children can only access online services appropriate for their age and stage and where safety is built in from the outset, rather than added in response to harm.”
With the Prime Minister currently locked in talks with social media giants, Huggins described the situation as a “timely opportunity for positive change.”
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