Main points
- Age verification mechanisms on the Internet in the UK have proven ineffective because children easily bypass them using simple tricks or getting help from their parents.
- European countries such as France, Denmark, and Greece are introducing stricter measures to protect children from unwanted content, including full age verification and banning access to social media for children under 15.
Age verifications don't work – almost half of children easily bypass them / Unsplash / Thomas Park
New online safety rules were supposed to limit children's access to inappropriate content, but research shows the reality is much more complicated.
Why don't age verifications protect children online?
Despite the introduction of stricter regulations in the UK under the Online Safety Act , age verification mechanisms on the internet have shown limited effectiveness. Research by the British organization Internet Matters shows that a significant proportion of children easily bypass such restrictions, sometimes with the simplest tricks.
A survey of over 1,000 children and their parents found that 46% of children found age verifications easy to circumvent. In comparison, only 17% of respondents described these mechanisms as difficult. At the same time, 32% of children admitted that they had already circumvented such restrictions in practice.
Circumvention methods often do not require any technical knowledge . Among the most common are entering a false date of birth or using someone else's documents. In cases involving video verification, children sometimes use images of video game characters to fool the system. In some cases, the report notes, even drawing a mustache was enough to bypass age recognition algorithms.
The Independent reports that the problem is compounded by the fact that parents are not always the ones to act as a barrier . The study found that 17% of parents knowingly help their children circumvent age restrictions, while another 9% simply ignore such actions. In many cases, adults explain this by their confidence in their ability to control the situation and assess the risks.
Internet Matters notes that some parents allow access to potentially dangerous content under supervision, believing that it is better for a child to be exposed to such material under supervision than on their own.
However, statistics show otherwise. Almost half of children – 49% – said they had recently encountered harmful content online. This means that even those who do not bypass age barriers can still come across unwanted material in their feeds.
Internet Matters CEO Rachel Huggins stressed the need for more decisive action: “Stronger action is needed from government and industry to ensure that children only access services that are appropriate for their age and developmental level, and that safety is built in from the start, rather than added after problems arise.”
She also highlighted the government's dialogue with social media to combat online threats, calling it “a timely opportunity for positive change.”
Ultimately, even with increased regulation, it remains clear that technical restrictions alone cannot fully protect children online. Without a comprehensive approach – one that includes both technological improvements and responsible adult behavior – the problem will remain.
How do age restrictions for children work in other European countries?
The UK officially passed the Online Safety Act in October 2023 , with the regulator set to phase it in over 2024–2025. The main reason for introducing these restrictions was the government's desire to protect minors from harmful content – including pornography, violent content, suicide content, and cyberbullying. The law requires technology companies to verify users' ages to limit access to content that is not appropriate for their developmental level.
The problem of protecting minors from dangerous content and the influence of social networks has reached a pan-European level. In 2026, the European Commission announced the readiness of a new age verification application. This tool, called a ” mini wallet “, allows you to confirm the user's age using an electronic ID or passport, without revealing personal data. EU countries can integrate it into their national digital wallets by the end of 2026.
Some countries are opting for even stricter measures. In France, the National Assembly has passed a bill that would ban children under 15 from using social media without parental consent. French lawmakers plan to launch the system by the start of the 2026 school year, with full verification by January 2027.
Denmark and Greece are taking a similar approach. Denmark has announced plans to ban access to social media for those under 15, while Greece has already officially approved a ban on social media for children under 15, starting January 1, 2027. They plan to use a special government app that will block access to the platforms.
These initiatives are part of a pan-European strategy under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The aim of these changes is to force very large online platforms to comply with national legislation and implement effective age verification tools.