Children are drawing moustaches on their faces to fool online age checks - and it's working

A UK survey by Internet Matters found a third of children have recently bypassed online age checks.

Children used fake birthdates, borrowed IDs, and even makeup tricks like drawn moustaches to get around verification.

Many parents also helped, and some platform safety measures have improved since the Online Safety Act took effect in 2025.

The findings raise doubts about how effective the UK’s new online safety rules are at keeping minors away from harmful content.