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The UK government has enacted the Online Safety Act, or OSA, to force online platforms to have stricter age monitoring systems, especially websites with user content, or websites with adult content, but in practice many children can evade age monitoring systems very easily.

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A report by Internet Matters, which surveyed 1,000 children and parents in the UK, found that OSA laws helped many platforms to increase safety measures - parental control, content screening, age confirmation systems, and more child-friendly content display - which is a positive outcome of this law.

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But in practical use, many age monitoring systems are vulnerable and can be easily evaded. Some people use simple methods like filling out fake birthdays to make the system understand that they have reached a certain age. While in some cases the platform uses facial monitoring, children can also fool the system by drawing or sticking fake tentacles on their faces to make it seem more mature.

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According to the survey, 46% of under-age children view crossing the current age test system as very easy, while 49% of children still experience harmful content online. It reflects that while the law puts more pressure on the platform to protect children, there are still gaps in technology and enforcement.

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Internet Matters proposes that the platform should design safety from the beginning, assess the risks of each service, adapt the experience to suit a child's age range, use a more effective age monitoring system, and promote media knowledge for both children, parents, schools, and the public sector.

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Source: neowin

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