When governments introduced stricter online age checks under the UK’s Online Safety Act, the goal was to keep children away from harmful content. But in practice, the system is already showing cracks—and the most telling insight comes from the very users it’s meant to protect.
Children aren’t just countering age checks, they’re actively bypassing them—and often with surprising ease.
According to a new report from Internet Matters foundation, nearly half of children (46%) believe age verification systems are easy to get around, while only 17% think they are difficult. That perception isn’t theoretical. It’s grounded in real behavior, shared knowledge, and increasingly creative workarounds.
From simply entering a fake birthdate to using someone else’s ID, children have developed a toolkit to bypass techniques. Some methods are almost trivial—changing a date of birth or borrowing a parent’s login—while others reflect a growing sophistication. Kids reported submitting altered images, using AI-generated faces, or even drawing facial hair on themselves to trick facial recognition systems.
In one striking example, a parent described catching their child using makeup to appear older—successfully fooling the system.
I did catch my son using an eyebrow pencil to draw a moustache on his face, and it verified him as 15 years old. – Mum of boy, 12
But the problem goes deeper than perception. It’s systemic.
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Bypassing Is the Norm, Not the Exception
The report reveals that nearly one in three children (32%) admitted to bypassing age restrictions in just the past two months. Older children are even more likely to do so, which shows how digital literacy often translates into evasion capability.
The most common methods?
- Entering a fake birthdate (13%)
- Using someone else’s login credentials (9%)
- Accessing platforms via another person’s device (8%)
Despite widespread concerns about VPNs, they play a relatively minor role. Only 7% of children reported using them to bypass restrictions, suggesting that simpler, low-effort tactics remain the preferred route.
In other words, the barrier to entry is not just low—it’s practically optional.
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Even When It Works, It Doesn’t Work
Ironically, even when children attempt 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 flagged as underage, enforcement was often inconsistent or temporary. One child described being blocked from going live on a platform for just 10 minutes before being allowed to try again.
This inconsistency creates a loophole where persistence pays. If at first you’re denied, simply try again.
A Risky Side Effect
Perhaps the most concerning finding isn’t that children can bypass age checks—it’s that adults can too.
The report states fears that adults may exploit these same weaknesses to access spaces intended for younger users. In some cases, this involves using images or videos of children to trick verification systems. There are even reports of adults acquiring child-registered accounts to blend into youth platforms.
This flips the entire premise of age verification on its head. Instead of protecting children, flawed systems may inadvertently expose them to greater risk.
Parents, Part of the Problem—or the Solution?
Adding another layer of complexity, parents themselves are sometimes complicit.
About 26% of parents admitted to allowing their children to bypass age checks, with 17% actively helping them do so. The reasoning is often pragmatic. Parents feel they understand the risks and trust their child’s judgment.
I have helped my son get around them. It was to play a game, and I knew the game, and I was happy and confident that I was fine with him playing it. – Mum of non-binary child, 13
But this undermines the consistency of enforcement. If rules vary from household to household, platform-level protections lose their impact.
Interestingly, the data also suggests that communication matters. Children who regularly discuss their online activity with parents are less likely to bypass restrictions than those who don’t.
Why Kids Are Bypassing in the First Place
The motivations aren’t always malicious. In many cases, children are simply trying to access social media (34%), gaming communities (30%), or messaging apps (29%) that their peers are already using.
What this resonate is a fundamental tension where age verification systems are trying to enforce boundaries in environments where social participation is the norm.
Age verification is often positioned as a cornerstone of online safety. But in practice, it’s proving to be more of a speed bump than a safeguard.
Children understand the systems. They share methods. They adapt quickly. And until the technology—and its enforcement—becomes significantly more robust, age checks may offer more reassurance than real protection.
