Charities: It won’t work
THE UK Government is planning to make technology companies verify online users ages – despite children’s charities here claiming it could not be done.
Yesterday the Irish Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and the Children’s Rights Alliance claimed the digital age of consent of 16 was ‘unworkable’ as children lie about their age online and tech companies age verification technologies are too weak.
Ministers in the UK are proposing tech giants will have to enforce the age limits that firms such as Facebook and Twitter claim to use.
They said the tech firms could have to verify the users ages with parents before they can open an account with firms such as Facebook and Twitter.
Meanwhile, the children’s organisations here have argued that raising the digital age of consent to 16 would remove the burden off companies to implement more robust verification – and place the onus back on children and their parents.
The ISPCC’s chief executive Gráinne Long previously described the plan to protect children up to the age of 16 as ‘unworkable’.
The ISPCC campaigned to have the digital age of consent set at 13.
Facebook’s head of public policy Niamh Sweeney previously defended the company saying that verifying the ages of children online was ‘technologically difficult’.
Prominent cyberpsychologist Dr Mary Aiken has backed the digital age of consent being set at 16 saying that a digital age of consent of 13 ‘leaves children very vulnerable’ .
The major crackdown in the UK was announced yesterday by culture secretary Matt Hancock.