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Australia finds age checks feasible as it prepares to enforce ban on under-16s using social media.
In this AI-generated representative image, Australian parents smile as their teenagers react to social media access being blocked. (IMAGE: DALL.E)
Australia’s world-first ban on under-16s using social media platforms moved closer to reality on Friday after a key government-commissioned trial found that digital age checks are both technically possible and can be integrated into existing platforms, according to a report by Bloomberg.
“Age assurance can be done in Australia and can be private, robust and effective,” the Age Assurance Technology Trial said in a statement, laying out its preliminary findings. The trial clears the way for the law to come into effect by the end of the year.
Tony Allen, the trial’s project director, said there were “no significant technological barriers” to keeping under-16s off social media. “These solutions are technically feasible, can be integrated flexibly into existing services and can support the safety and rights of children online,” he said.
In a separate interview with Australia’s Nine Network, Allen said preventing children circumventing age verification tools was a “big challenge”, however.
“I don’t think anything is completely foolproof,” he said.
The findings are a blow to major platforms like Facebook-owner Meta, TikTok and Snap Inc., which have opposed the legislation. They had previously argued that reliably verifying a user’s age wasn’t feasible using current technologies.
The law, passed last November, puts the onus on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and X to enforce the age ban. Failure to comply could result in fines of up to Aus$50 million (US$32 million). Industry critics have described the legislation as vague, rushed and problematic.
The trial tested several approaches to age assurance, including facial analysis, behavioural inference, ID verification and parental controls. It also examined how minors might try to bypass age checks.
More than 50 companies participated in the trial. Allen said Apple and Google, whose mobile operating systems underpin most smartphones, are also contributing to the broader implementation effort.
Australia’s legislation is being closely monitored by other countries, with many weighing whether to implement similar bans.
Greece spearheaded a proposal this month for the European Union to limit children’s use of online platforms by setting an age of digital adulthood — barring children from social media without parental consent.
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev…Read More
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev… Read More
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Canberra, Australia
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