Kids Can Bypass some Age Checks with a Drawn-on Mustache
Internet Matters found 46% of children say age checks are easy to beat, and 17% of parents admitted helping them do it.
- A new report from Internet Matters reveals UK children are easily bypassing online age verification, with some using fake moustaches to trick facial recognition software.
- The Online Safety Act, which came into force in July 2025, requires platforms to implement safety measures, yet 46% of children say age checks are easy to bypass.
- Internet Matters found that 17% of parents admitted to actively helping their children evade age checks, while a third of children bypassed them in the past two months.
- Half of children reported encountering harmful content online recently; CEO Rachel Huggins of Internet Matters stated that safety must be built into platforms from the outset.
- Campaigners from organizations including the Molly Rose Foundation warn the legislation is structurally incapable of delivering intended protections, risking that children are driven toward less regulated internet spaces.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Kids with fake mustaches can fool high-tech age verification systems
For those who think a fake mustache is not fooling anybody, think again. Since 2023, the United Kingdom’s Online Safety Act has tasked social media and search engine companies with protecting young users by restricting harmful content and even resorting to age verification to access certain platforms. But unsurprisingly, the tech-savvy young generation is already developing ingenious ways to jump through the extra sets of hoops. A recent study b…
Gen Alpha is using makeup to pass age verification tech online: one mom caught her son using an eyebrow pencil
Back in the old days, you’d snag an older sibling’s expired license or put on some makeup and try your best to sneak into a bar or 18 and over venue. Well, it’s 2026 and kids are no different. They’re using someone else’s IDs and drawing on facial hair to get into the hottest venue in town: the internet. A new report from Internet Matters revealed that a third of U.K. children have found ways to get past age verification systems designed to prot…
UK Kids Foil Online Age Checks With Fake Mustaches
Euronews reports: A new report reveals that children across the UK are outwitting online safety measures with fake birthdays, borrowed IDs, and some surprisingly creative facial hair. A third of children say they have bypassed online age checks in the past two months – some by drawing fake moustaches on their faces to trick facial recognition software. The report from Internet Matters titled The Online Safety Act: Are Children Safer Online? surv…
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