[codedokode]

There is actually a way to prove the age anonymously. Yubikey-like devices support attestation - they can have a private key proving authenticity of a device.

So some organization could release Yubikeys with a certain private key and distribute them in stores that allow only adult customers - like liquor stores or sex shops. Owning a key proves that one is adult without disclosing identity. Keys support USB and bluetooth and can be easily supported on any device.

Also, OS developers should implement simple parent mode - such that parents only need to flip a switch and set a password, and do not have to whitelist apps or websites - the OS should use government-provided lists. You might not like the government, but 99% of parents do not want to bother compiling white lists manually.

[panny]

The problem with that is, parents be like:

>Here kid, take my key, go get me some beer.

Everyone everywhere gets forced to deal with bullshit, then the people it is supposed to be protecting circumvent it directly.

[jjgreen]

When I was 8 or 9, my Father would often give me 50p to go down to the nearby pub to get him 20 cigarettes and a half-pound bar of chocolate, which came to 48p. Always "and where's my change then?" when I returned. Tight git.

[stephbook]

Sounds like your father would have noticed a missing cigarette.

[yolo3000]

The same can happen with any type of authentication, unless you are ok with someone pointing a webcam and authenticating you non stop.

[andrewla]

This is underselling it -- an adult can sell these yubikeys untraceably, pocket the cash, and never think about it again in their life.

If we tie the person's identity to the token (THIS IS A BAD IDEA) then if underage use is detected, the adult who sold the token can be prosecuted for selling adult tokens to minors.

[codedokode]

An adult could also sell alcohol or drugs to minors so what? Should we add a code to every bottle and require passport to buy them?

[panny]

No, I think there are parents who would find a long enough webcam cable to point the cam at themselves while Jeff Epstein is grooming their kids in roblox.

The core point is that it isn't my responsiblity to take care of your children. When less than half of millennials (40% men, 55% women) have children, the "think of the children" catchphrase really starts to fall flat. Why should I think of the children? I don't even have children. It's the parents' problem, not mine. Stop making it my problem.

[edg5000]

You're missing the point. The complaints are consistently that age/children is just an excuse for control. Your comment is ironically, "offtopic". The rage is about forced identification.

Although, pointing out how actual age verification would work won't hurt. It helps to make it more clear that these pending laws are draconian.

[moffkalast]

That's just one of dozens of ways it could be done, hundreds probably. But ultimately proving that you're an adult is not the point, the point has always been profiling people with the excuse of that. Most of these verifications are done by Palantir shell corps even.