Kids are using fake mustaches, VPNs, and their parents' accounts to get around age verification

A UK survey of 1,270 children and parents found about 32% of minors had bypassed age checks online.

The most common workarounds were fake birthdates, adult devices or accounts, VPNs, and borrowed IDs; some also tried to evade facial scans.

The findings raise doubts about how effective age-gating is at protecting children, especially as regulators and platforms expand age-verification rules.

The report also highlights privacy, security, and enforcement trade-offs in efforts to limit under-16 access to social media and adult sites.