The Norwegian Consumer Council published a report last week on commercial exploitation of children and adolescents online which included a warning against technical blocking of digital services. I found their reasoning against age verification in this context to be well informed, and think it is also relevant here:
> There are many ongoing discussions about whether to introduce technical measures to block or remove children and adolescents from certain digital services. In the report, the Norwegian Consumer Council cautions against rushing into such measures, and presents numerous principles that any such solutions must adhere to before potentially being implemented.
>–Age verification may seem like a relatively simple technical solution to a larger problem, but involves significant challenges related to the rights of children and adolescents, including privacy, social and political participation, and the possibility to seek information, says Inger Lise Blyverket.
>–It is also important to note that introducing such measures would require everyone to identify themselves online, which could mean that people over the age limit are exclud
ed. Many adolescents will also likely be able to circumvent such technical barriers.
>Before considering introducing such technical barriers, several criteria must be fulfilled. This includes, among other things, that the use of an age verification system is proportional to the problem one wants to solve, does not lead to the exclusion of vulnerable groups and individuals, and that it safeguards security and privacy.