Young people are circumventing social media age verification measures by employing fake birthdays, shared accounts, altered photographs, and even drawing on false moustaches, according to new research. The study, conducted by Internet Matters, reveals that despite stringent online safety legislation, nearly half of children (49%) report encountering harmful content online, including exposure to violent or hateful material.
A third of children (32%) admit to bypassing age checks, with many simply entering a false birthdate or using someone else's login credentials. However, some have resorted to more creative methods, such as using eyebrow pencils to simulate facial hair. One parent recounted: "I did catch my son using an eyebrow pencil to draw a moustache on his face, and it verified him as 15 years old." Another mother of a 12-year-old girl noted that age verification often fails as a deterrent, stating: "I don't class it as being a deterrent. If anything, because they've had a barrier put up, kids will do everything they can to be the first one to get through it."
Weaknesses in Current Age Verification Systems
The survey, which included 1,270 UK children aged nine to 16 and their parents, found that 46% of children believe age checks are easy to bypass, with only 17% considering them difficult. This comes despite Ofcom's directive to social media firms last summer to implement robust age verification measures—such as credit card checks or facial recognition technology—as part of the Online Safety Act.
Since then, safety features have become more visible, with around seven in ten children (68%) and parents (67%) noticing increased reporting tools and content filters on platforms. However, overall progress remains sluggish, with fewer than half of parents (39%) and children (42%) reporting that the online environment has become safer recently.
Government Pressures and Potential Bans
The UK government is facing mounting pressure to introduce a social media ban for under-16s, following Australia's lead in implementing such a ban at the end of last year. Ministers are currently consulting on a range of online safety measures, including an outright ban, overnight curfews, or app caps. Education Minister Olivia Bailey recently pledged "some form of age or functionality restrictions" amid pressure from the House of Lords.
However, early research from Australia's ban indicates that children are still circumventing the rules, with three in five (61%) 12 to 15-year-olds continuing to access one or more accounts on restricted platforms.
Calls for Stronger Age Checks
Internet Matters is urging the government to strengthen age verification systems to achieve meaningful progress. Rachel Huggins, the charity's chief executive, stated: "While some families are beginning to see improvements, progress is patchy and far too slow. Children are still being exposed to harmful content at unacceptable levels, and their experience of age verification systems show they are too often weak or easily tricked."
She added: "The Government has said it is committed to introducing further changes in the law following its consultation. As Ministers consider the next phase of action, safety measures must be designed around the real needs of families and must actually work in practice. Anything less will fall short of delivering the meaningful change children need to be safe and to thrive online."
An Ofcom spokesman responded: "This report underlines why the Online Safety Act matters. Without protections like robust age checks, children have been routinely exposed to risks they didn’t choose, on services they can’t realistically avoid. Weak or easily bypassed age checks are not good enough. In the UK, our rules make tech firms responsible for keeping the platforms children use safer. While progress is being made, we’re clear that there is still more to do. We’ve challenged the biggest services in the world to do more to protect children. We won’t hesitate to act where they fall short."
