Age verification tech could put children at greater risk, says think tank

5 hours ago

Age verification mandates may not protect children from harmful content and addictive app designs, and could exclude vulnerable groups.
Mandatory age verification could expose children to risks of blackmail, abuse, and data misuse, and may concentrate power with large tech platforms.
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act grants broad powers to regulate tech without parliamentary scrutiny, raising privacy and freedom of expression concerns.
Age verification technologies, like biometric scans, can perform poorly for minority groups and increase risks of data theft or exclusion.
Restrictions might push under-age users to riskier sites or strategies, such as buying fake credentials, without addressing harmful content dissemination.
FIPR proposes a 'tagging and blocking' system, similar to film ratings, allowing customizable content filters instead of universal age verification.
Age-checking systems can be bypassed via tools like VPNs or forged identities, and do not tackle core issues of toxic content moderation.
UK plans for social media bans for under-16s and VPN restrictions could be implemented soon, following international trends like Australia's ban.

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