Actions Taken by Online Services When Underage Accounts are Detected (2024)

Data represents the frequency of specific enforcement actions identified across 50 online service instances. A service may be counted in only one category. This chart shows the enforcement actions that 50 online services state they will take when they detect an account belonging to someone underage in 2024, broken down by service category. While "suspending the account" (either alone or combined with deleting data) is the industry standard for high-risk sectors, the specific approach varies significantly depending on the nature of the platform. A significant trend emerges in sectors characterised by real-time interaction. Random live video chat (75%) and social media (50%) utilise the comprehensive 'suspend account + delete data' approach the most. In contrast, sectors such as dating (60%), pornography (50%) and messaging (50%) tend to suspend accounts without explicitly stating that data will be deleted as part of the primary enforcement action. The data also highlight a profound 'transparency gap' and a lack of protective thresholds in certain sectors. Most notably, 67% of gaming services provide no information regarding their enforcement actions; a lack of transparency is also seen in 40% of services designed specifically 'for kids'. Furthermore, 40% of "For kids" services and 17% of "Gaming" services state that they have no minimum age, rendering detection-based enforcement unnecessary. Finally, a distinct 'data-centric' model is evident in app stores (67%) and generative AI (50%), where platforms prioritise deleting minor's data over suspending the account itself.