Parents Undermine Age‑Gate Effectiveness

Research from Internet Matters and a 1,000‑child UK sample finds many children (32%) bypass age checks and one in six parents admit to helping. Practical evasions range from drawing fake facial hair to using alternate accounts, showing family behaviour is a key factor in whether platform age gates work. — If parents commonly assist circumvention, policymakers and platforms must redesign child‑protection rules to account for household practices rather than relying on brittle automated checks.