Retailers Fail To Prevent Internet Teenage Kicks

2008/05/12 19:27

Press Release from:

GB Group

Young people are using the internet to buy inappropriate material, such as explicit video games, adult DVDs, alcohol and even weapons, because it’s easier than buying it on the high street, according to new research issued today (Mon). A nationwide survey among 1,000 male and female teenagers aged 13-17 found that young people are consistently trying to buy inappropriate material online thanks to poor levels of age verification – and in thousands of cases across the country are successful in their attempts.

The research - by GB Group, the UK’s leading identity management

Retailers Fail To Prevent Internet Teenage Kicks

company - reveals: - Nearly half (48%) of teenage boys under 18 have tried to buy adult DVDs or violent video games online in the past year...and over three quarters of these were successful - One in 20 (5%) 14 year olds have successfully purchased alcohol online - A similar number of 15 year olds have been able to buy dangerous objects online such as knives - A quarter (25%) of teenage boys and over a third (38%) of teenage girls under 18 have managed to buy items online using someone else’s credit card

Recent advances in online technology mean websites can now immediately verify anyone who tries to buy or access material which could be deemed inappropriate, by cross-referencing existing ID and age data - allowing online firms to keep sites user-friendly while putting security measures in place to protect young people.

Yet while the UK online gambling industry has embraced latest age and ID verification processes, to protect young and vulnerable consumers, the survey shows that online retailers are still failing to verify customer ages: two thirds (66%) of 13-17 year olds have been asked for ID in shops when trying to buy inappropriate material over the past year, yet just 18% of young people have been asked to prove their ID when trying to buy similar items online over the same period. Even popular social network sites such as YouTube and Facebook currently offer ‘adult’ content without any stringent age verification.