UK Children Bypass Age Verification at Scale, Encounter Harmful Content

Internet Matters surveyed 1,270 UK children aged 9-16 in May 2026 and found 32% had circumvented age checks within two months. Nearly half found the systems easy to defeat. Concurrently, 49% of surveyed children reported encountering harmful content online. The findings expose significant gaps in the Online Safety Act's protective mechanisms, suggesting current technical approaches alone are insufficient to restrict underage access to age-restricted platforms and content.