Your Data Is Already Breached: Why Age Verification Makes It Worse

The Illusion of Digital Safety: How Age Gates and Digital IDs Miss the MarkIn this episode of PsyberSpace, host Leslie Poston digs into the ineffectiveness and risks of age gates and digital ID verification systems aimed at protecting children online. Highlighting global legislative attempts and their unintended consequences, Poston argues that these measures often exacerbate digital risks while failing to address root causes such as inadequate parental capacity, literacy deficiencies, and systemic economic struggles. The episode challenges the moral panic around social media's impact on youth mental health, pointing out that true protection requires structural change rather than symbolic, ineffective solutions.00:00 Introduction and Data Breach Experiment01:09 Global Push for Age Gates and Digital ID Verification02:24 Moral Panic and Media Influence02:51 Scientific Evidence on Social Media and Youth Wellbeing07:02 The Real Issues: Parenting Capacity and Literacy Crisis09:35 The Illusion of Control: Age Gates and Surveillance14:09 Effective Solutions and Structural Change15:27 Conclusion and Final Thoughts ★ Support this podcast ★