Children reportedly bypass age-verification systems using fake moustaches

Some online age-verification systems are reportedly being outsmarted by children using surprisingly simple tricks, including drawing fake moustaches on their faces with makeup pencils to bypass restrictions on adult websites.

According to a survey conducted by U.K.-based nonprofit Internet Matters, many children appear to find online age checks relatively easy to evade. The organisation surveyed about 1,000 children about their experiences with age-verification systems, and nearly half of the respondents said those checks were easy to circumvent.

"и Children demonstrated a clear awareness of how to bypass age checks, either through their own experiences or by hearing about methods from others," the report stated.

The report added that one method repeatedly mentioned involved children drawing facial hair on themselves to appear older to automated age-detection tools.

"One technique brought up was children drawing facial hair on themselves so that the tools verifying them would think they were older, which was reported as working in multiple instances," the report explained.

Age-verification laws have continued to expand across multiple countries, often promoted as measures to improve online child safety. Under many of these regulations, adults are required to verify their age before accessing adult-oriented websites, typically by uploading government-issued identification, such as a driver's license or passport, to third-party verification providers. Critics of these systems argue that they create large databases containing sensitive personal information that could eventually be hacked, leaked, or abused. Some also warn that such laws threaten the internet's open and decentralised nature.

Currently, around half of U.S. states have introduced some form of age-verification legislation. At the same time, the United Kingdom has also implemented similar rules that helped accelerate the broader global push for stricter online age checks.

As governments increase pressure on technology companies to comply, major firms have started adjusting their platforms and software. Apple, for example, has introduced software updates designed to help device owners comply with age-checking regulations.

Online platforms such as Reddit and Meta have adopted mixed approaches, including asking users to upload government-issued identification documents while also relying on algorithmic systems that estimate a user's age through visual analysis and behavioural patterns.

Meanwhile, platforms like Discord have reportedly delayed or slowed some age-verification rollouts due to user backlash and security concerns. The fake moustache trick is not the first workaround children have reportedly discovered since the expansion of age-verification technology in recent months. Some users have found that pointing webcams at adult-looking video game characters can fool certain verification systems. In other cases, simply making unusual or exaggerated facial expressions has reportedly been enough to bypass the checks entirely.