Don't bother

The suggestion of requiring people to use photo ID to prove their age, as is now being discussed in the UK, is a good idea but will it work? We in Australia have tried to keep U16s on the straight and narrow but the blighters have bypassed the restrictions by various methods that it's best not to mention here.

Most people have no interest in the dubious material that can be found online. It can be less of a matter of children coming into contact with bad influences but rather the 'evil' that looks to contact those children.

The recent trend of photo manipulation could also make it difficult given there is little difference in appearance from 15 to 16 and IDs can be created.

The better approach would be to remove the offending content but that would require the active support of the social media companies and their track record is very poor.

Maybe parents could make their children go outside without technology but that would be even more difficult.

Dennis Fitzgerald,
Australia