A Comparison of Password Authentication Between Children and Adults

According to a large MediaSmarts survey, 99 percent of Canadian children aged 8-15 are online. We already have a good number of security measures for adults but can those measures keep children secure as well? As a starting point, we explore the subject of user authentication for children.We conducted two studies on three graphical password schemes (Objects, Image and Words PassTiles), one with adults and one with children. We analyse the data collected from these 50 participants to compare their performance and preferences. Although outperformed by the adults, children performed best with Objects PassTiles where they recognized images of distinct objects from among decoys. Adults and children both have similar opinions, including a preference for graphical passwords over their existing password schemes. We conclude the thesis with four recommendations based on our experiences.