Kids bypass age verification with fake moustaches
Many UK children are easily bypassing online age verification measures introduced under the Online Safety Act, with some using simple methods like drawing on fake mustaches to fool detection systems. Nearly half of surveyed children said age checks were easy to circumvent, while a significant number admitted to accessing age-restricted content. Parental involvement, including active assistance or turning a blind eye, also contributes to the ineffectiveness of these safeguards.
- ▪46 percent of UK children said age checks are easy to bypass, while 17 percent said they are difficult to fool.
- ▪Children have used methods such as fake birthdays, borrowed IDs, video game characters, and drawn-on mustaches to trick age verification systems.
- ▪17 percent of parents admitted to helping their children bypass age checks, and an additional 9 percent ignored the behavior.
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Research 12 Kids say they can beat age checks by drawing on a fake mustache 12 46% say age checks are easy to bypass, and nearly a third admit getting around them Brandon Vigliarolo Mon 4 May 2026 // 20:50 UTC It’s been months since the UK government began requiring stronger age checks under the Online Safety Act, and recent research suggests those measures are falling short of keeping kids away from harmful content. In some cases, even drawing on a mustache has been reported as enough to fool age detection software. Like keeping booze away from teenagers or nudie mags out of the hands of young lads, slapping a big “restricted, 18+” label on parts of the internet hasn't stopped kids testing the limits.
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