Kids are circumventing age-detection software by drawing mustaches on their faces

As various laws around the world have begun enforcing age restrictions for pornography, social media, and gaming, companies have had to pivot how they verify the age of their users.

Many have turned to AI to look at a live video of a user and determine their age.

But kids always find a way.

For example, in the UK, The Independent reports that kids have been circumventing these age checks in the most ridiculous way possible.

Parents also said they had caught their children drawing on facial hair in a bid to evade the technology. One mother said: ‘I did catch my son using an eyebrow pencil to draw a moustache on his face, and it verified him as 15 years old.'

Yep, kids are using the classic mustache ruse to get past the machines.

From a sample of 1,000 UK children, 46 per cent said they believed age checks are easy to bypass, while 32 per cent admitted to having done so.

The UK's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology says that companies will still be held liable if a child bypasses their age-verification system.

‘Companies must stop turning a blind eye while children are exposed to harm,' they added. ‘Ofcom has our full backing to use its enforcement powers against those who fail to comply with the law.'

They said the government had also launched a consultation looking at ‘everything from age limits and safer design features' to a full social media ban, adding they will ‘act based on the latest evidence'.

But kids are pretty savvy. Even in countries that have full internet bans, there are still young people that find a way around the security blocks.

On the other hand, protecting children from harmful content online is a noble goal.

If only the UK was this adamant about protecting their children from the harmful content they've imported through migrant resettlement programs in the real world.