Gen Z Asks for Better Age Gates in IDEX Biometrics Survey

Britain’s youth are asking the country’s internet security providers to take away their porn. At least, that’s the takeaway from a new study from IDEX Biometrics, which suggests that Generation Z believes that porn sites should use biometrics to prevent children from gaining access to adult materials. 

The study was conducted by Arlington Research, which polled a representative sample of 1,096 people between the ages of 16 and 24 (those under 18 were not asked about their viewing habits). The agency found that the overwhelming majority (88 percent) of the respondents had at some point gained access to age-restricted content while they were underage, with 30 percent admitting that they were younger than 14 the first time they watched porn.

Unfortunately, many of the respondents (11 percent) regretted those experiences. A full 10 percent also felt traumatized by the things they saw. That’s why the majority (53 percent) believed that biometric technology should be used to limit access to adult sites, a trend that was (perhaps surprisingly) even more pronounced for those who were 16 or 17. Eighty percent of those under 18 supported the use of biometric age restrictions.   

“This research shows Generation Z is increasingly concerned about online safety and welcome biometric technology as a solution,” said IDEX SVP David Orme.

The survey is being released several months after an administrative error led to the delay of a proposed porn block in the UK. The legislation was supposed to go into effect on July 15, and would have required proof-of-age from those trying to access pornographic content. Yoti was one of several identity specialists working to meet the anticipated demand, partnering with AgeID to provide discreet age verification services.

This latest study suggests that IDEX is of a similar mind, noting that 40 percent of the respondents said they would pay for an identity card with fingerprint security. IDEX, of course, has provided fingerprint technology for numerous card partners in the past few years. 

According to the survey, Generation Z believes that there should be age restrictions for online gambling and social media in addition to pornography.

–

January 24, 2020 – by Eric Weiss