The UK advertising watchdog has criticised the lax age verification systems used by websites such as Facebook, after finding that more than 80% of children lie about their age when using social media. The Advertising Standards Authority uncovered the issue while conducting a survey assessing what kind of ads young people see and whether companies are sticking to the UK advertising code. The survey found that 83% of the 11 to 15 year olds whose internet usage was monitored registered on a social media site with a false age. Just over 40% of the children signed in stating they were over 18 years of age, with one even claiming to be 88. While the report found that advertisers were accurately targeting their ads many children were seeing inappropriate content – such as ads for gambling, alcohol, slimming aids and overtly sexual dating services – because they were lying about their age.
