Experts: Age Verification Won’t Work on MySpace

NEW YORK — Amid growing concerns from parents and rumblings from Congress as well as various state Attorneys General, social networking sites such as MySpace have been looking for ways to improve age verification tools. But, according to Internet security experts, age verification tools developed to keep children from viewing adult material online won’t work for social networking sites.

Traditional age verification tools such as credit cards tend to work best for sites selling products that cater to the adults-only market, Adam Thierer, a senior fellow with the technology think tank Progress and Freedom Foundation, said.

In other words, sites selling pornography, alcohol and gambling can easily use credit cards to verify users without limiting access for adults.

The problem, according to Thierer, is that social networking sites cater to both adult and teens, but teens lack a specific age identifier.

“Minors do not possess as many unique identifiers as adults do,” Thierer said. “They are not voters yet. They don’t have home mortgages or car loans. Most don’t have drivers licenses until they are 16."

For its part, MySpace has said that any effective measure designed to protect children online will require the support of parents, who must educate their kids. The company’s safety expert, Hemanshu Nigam, added that it was working closely with law enforcement officials on the problem.

In the meantime, various state Attorneys General have dismissed the idea that social networking sites face a unique age verification problem.

"Don’t tell me it can’t be done," Conn. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said. "It’s a question of whether the company in good faith really wants to know those ages and sacrifice some of the excitement and coolness that comes with anonymity."

Attorneys General Jim Petro of Ohio and Greg Abbot of Texas have called for credit card-based age verification systems to be implemented, while Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly has called for age verification without specifying a solution.

MySpace competitor Facebook, which caters to students, attempts to verify age by only enrolling users with valid high school and college email addresses. With 8 million users, Facebook has a fraction of MySpace’s 90 million users.

Zoey’s Room, a site dedicated to 10 to 14 year-old girls, employs a more costly method of age verification, by independently verifying each member through a school or youth group.

"It does cost to create safe communities," Zoey’s Room founder Erin Reilly said. "I would rather have a manageable population and keep them all safe instead of looking for a million unique visitors."

The site, which charges $15 per year, has just 300 members.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

GirlsDoPorn Owner Michael Pratt Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking

Michael Pratt, former owner of the rogue website GirlsDoPorn, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on Thursday to sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking charges, according to a report by City News Service.

Master Nico Relaunches Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Master Nico has relaunched his official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Federal Judge Grants Partial Halt of Florida AV Law

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Tallahassee Division, has granted a preliminary injunction against HB 3, the state's age verification law, as a lawsuit filed by two online trade associations challenging the law makes its way through the courts.

Aylo Releases Statement on Suspending Access to Pornhub in France

Technology and media company Aylo, which operates adult sites including Pornhub, YouPorn, and Redtube, has released a public statement regarding its decision to block access to its sites in France.

Pineapple Support to Host Wellness Sessions at Bucharest Summit

Pineapple Support is hosting free group and one-on-one therapy sessions at Bucharest Summit, June 3-5.

Pornhub Blocks Access in France in Response to SREN Law

Pornhub parent company Aylo has opted to block access to its sites in France rather than comply with age verification requirements under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law.

ASACP Highlights Study on Parental Controls

The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) is highlighting the results of a study on the underutilization of parental controls.

Sydney Screams Launches New Site Through Grooby's Blue.xxx

Sydney Screams has launched her new membership site, SydneyScreams.xxx, through Grooby's website management company Blue.xxx.

Mistress Mystii Is LoyalFans' 'Featured Creator' for June

LoyalFans has named Mistress Mystii as its Featured Creator for June.

Canadian Senator Revives Push for National AV Law

Sen. Julie Miville-Dechêne, whose previous multiple attempts to legislate national age verification requirements all failed, has introduced a new bill that would impose fines of up to $500,000 on adult sites that do not implement age verification for Canadian viewers.

Show More