Let’s enforce age gate rules to secure children on the internet

News: Recently, a report was published by BBC News investigation pointing towards the digital inscrutability (incapable of being scrutinized) of kids. 

Why are children at risk in the internet world? 

The veil of anonymity afforded by the internet ensures that underage web users are constantly exposed to age-inappropriate content. Moreover, lack of robust age-verification mechanisms by social media platforms means the risk for children is further amplified.

What are the policies and proposals at present aimed to make internet safer for children? 

Most popular social media firms like TikTok and Meta Platforms Inc’s Instagram have a minimum age of 13.

An array of new children’s codes have also been proposed by legislators across Europe, Australia and also in the US. If they work, online apps will be forced to offer alternative versions for children. 

Germany might be the first country to impose age verification standards on internet businesses. For example, it has already approved approximately 80 different approaches for age-checking online and the country’s regulators are further ahead than any others.  

What are the ways to verify someone’s age online? 

Facial analysis: Algorithms taught using thousands of facial images can estimate someone’s age through the front-facing camera of a phone or computer, typically accurate to within a year or two.  

Voice recognition through Artificial intelligence could also help divine age from someone’s voice.  

Digital tokens offering proof of age that are verified by local shopkeepers can be used to access certain websites. 

Web platforms can also use profiling data based on someone’s online behaviour.  

Credit checks or verifying a person’s age via their mobile network operator. 

What are the issues with age-recognition technologies and proposed policies? 

Proposed policies

– In the UK, the proposed the Online Safety Bill doesn’t require companies to follow certain standards for age checking. 

– In the US, the proposed the Kids Online Safety Act, modelled on the latest UK bill lacks detail on how standards for age-checking would be enforced. 

Age-recognition tech

– Improving tech can make it easier for companies and malicious actors to harvest the facial data of thousands of people on the net, including children. It can be misused by them 

What is the way forward?

There should be strict standards on age checks.

– Penalties: For example, there should be penalties for non-compliance. The standards should be enforceable by the regulators. For example, Germany’s child protection regulators also have threatened to block one of the world’s largest pornographic websites over inadequate age-checking. 

Source: The post is based on an article “Let’s enforce age gate rules to secure children on the internet” published in the Live Mint on 21 Mar 22.