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Why is checking age at os-level that bad?
(lemmy.fait.ch)
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this post was submitted on 12 Mar 2026
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putting burden for safety on corps is not a healthy thing.
The burden is still on the parents, but this would actually provide a useful tool for them to address that burden.
have you seen any existing tools be so bulletproof that kids cant get around them?
No, and this wouldn't be impossible to bypass either. I don't think the aim is 100% perfection, so much as harm reduction, and I don't think you'll get more than that no matter how onerous the law becomes. Most kids, most of the time, are not going to be trying to circumvent it, and it would still be up to the parents to look out for cases where they were.
The current proposal requires storing and transmitting a flag that can take one of four values (under 13, 13-16, 16-18, 18+), and prohibits sites using other means of age verification. It'll work adaquately to stop kids accidentally seeing pornography, and hopefully things like andrew tate, giving the parents some space to do their part to help their kids learn how to understand what they migjt be exposed to.
why are the harm reduction methods we have now not being used?
That's a thorny question. The main ways we currently got either involve the sites in question collecting personally identifiable information, such as government issued ID, and making a determination as to what to serve based on the information that contains, or the sites adhereing to a voluntary code, such as RTA, to include an identifying header, and parents installing, configuring and maintaining the software or services to restrict access. The former method is obviously dangerous as it requires handing over your ID, and the latter is all voluntary and so there is little impetus to do it, and the complexity will also act as a deterent for parents. Turning it around and just having the computer send a flag for the age bracket gets rid of the need to transmit personally identifiable information and makes the parents' setup job much easier with a one-shot, tick a box and carry on, process.