Teens bypass online age checks

Technology companies and regulators are racing to stop minors from accessing online services, but vendors and researchers say teens are already finding ways to evade checks. Rick Song, CEO of identity-verification firm Persona, described tests his company runs to simulate tactics youngsters might use to fool scanners—everything from masks with adult features to holding up toys—and praised teens’ resourcefulness. Persona and similar vendors have ramped up tools such as ID uploads, biometric facial scans and behavioral profiling as governments move from warning to requirement.

Regulatory momentum has accelerated since Australia introduced strict limits on underage social media use, prompting other jurisdictions to study its approach. Early enforcement there has led platforms and third-party vendors to lock millions of suspected underage accounts, though independent reporting and industry sources suggest many platforms are meeting only the minimum legal burden.

Debate over effectiveness and privacy is intensifying. Supporters of age verification argue it protects children from explicit content, harmful contact and addictive features. Critics warn that requiring biometric or identity documents risks creating large stores of sensitive data vulnerable to breaches, disproportionately impacting users who lack government IDs, and producing false positives that lock legitimate adults out. Trade groups representing verification vendors caution regulators that platforms may push boundaries to see how far they can go when rules are new, while privacy-focused researchers point to past security lapses and to youths’ adaptability—borrowing IDs, using VPNs, creating new slang or workarounds—as reasons strict bans may be blunt tools.

Industry figures say falling costs and improved AI accuracy have made age-gating technically feasible and commercially attractive, leading many firms to offer modular toolkits so customers can choose mixes of verification methods. Regulators emphasize the need for safeguards and standards even as they press platforms to take responsibility. Analysts predict further innovation in age-screening technologies and growing pressure on companies to demonstrate both effectiveness and privacy protections as more countries draft or implement online-safety laws.