International Non-profits call for mandatory device-based age verification

The International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children is committed to advancing child protection and safeguarding vulnerable children around the world.

ALEXANDRIA, VA, UNITED STATES, December 20, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- While the internet is an essential aspect of daily life today, it also brings substantial risks. According to a recent UNICEF report, more than a third of young people in 30 countries report being cyberbullied. Sexually explicit content, violent and hateful material, highly explicit language, cyberbullying, and online predators are prevalent and alarmingly accessible to children.

CSI’s position paper Device-Based Age Verification to Protect Children and Vulnerable Adults Online through Mandating the Default Activation of Parental Controls on Tech Device strongly advocates for the immediate adoption of device-based age verification. ICMEC’s Model Bill for Protecting Children Online provides the building blocks of legislation to this end that can be adapted to any legislative context. Both publications outline the key issues associated with online child safety, including the consequences of unrestricted access, and the adoption of age verification instead of app-by-app and website-by-website verification as a protective measure. Both also acknowledge the important work underway by policymakers globally and legislative changes under consideration in many countries to strengthen the online protection of children.

“As a non-partisan, global nonprofit committed to advancing child protection and safeguarding vulnerable children around the world, ICMEC calls on governments, regulators, policymakers, legislators and technology companies to work together to establish clear guidelines and global standards for device-based age verification” stated Travis Heneveld, Interim CEO at ICMEC.

Deputy CEO of Crime Stoppers International Hayley van Loon noted, “Over 400 million websites operate without safety mechanisms to manage harmful content such as child sexual abuse material. Device-based age verification can leverage biometric authentication and secure hardware already embedded in cell phones, laptops, tablets, gaming consoles, and other devices to provide a high level of accuracy that surpasses traditional methods like self-reported birthdates, which are highly susceptible to misrepresentation and circumvention.”

ICMEC
International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children
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