In a bold move to safeguard children online, Australia has announced plans to ban social media access for those under 16
Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok will be required to prevent children from creating or accessing accounts, even if they have parental consent or already have active profiles. The law, expected to be introduced in Australia’s Parliament later this month, with platforms having one year to prepare for implementation, underscores growing global concerns around children’s safety online. With this legislation, Australia’s government aims to hold social media platforms accountable for implementing effective age assurance.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese explained that this initiative is driven by concern over the mental health and safety risks of unregulated social media access for young users. He highlighted that the responsibility for compliance would rest on the platforms, not on parents or children, while emphasising the need for platforms to take “reasonable steps” in restricting underage access. Social media companies that fail to adhere will face significant penalties, with potential exceptions for educational use only.
As discussions on this policy intensify, there’s also a growing focus on how age assurance technology can provide a reliable solution
Highly accurate, privacy-preserving, inclusive and user-friendly age assurance technologies are not a pipe dream – they already exist.
With a wide range of certified age assurance solutions now available, innovative methods like email address or facial age estimation provide businesses with non-intrusive alternatives to more traditional methods. These technologies are designed to estimate age to a high level of accuracy, with minimal impact on the user journey or the business.
While accuracy is vital, it’s also critical that age verification methods are privacy-preserving and without bias. Email address age estimation, for example, leverages existing data already collected by the platform—such as in the account creation process— removing the need for additional sharing of sensitive personal data or further user interaction, meaning businesses can deploy robust age verification processes that do not inversely impact user experience.
As with any new regulation, its effectiveness will come in the implementation
If it’s to have the desired impact on online safety, the Australian government must be crystal clear on what will be considered effective age verification. The bar must be set high for accuracy, but in a way that doesn’t diminish the experience for older users. This is essential to prevent children from bypassing checks and to enable platforms to comply and implement appropriate measures easily.
Additionally, it is important that legislation is enforced equitably across all platforms, rather than just focusing on the social media giants. This is key to ensure younger users aren’t simply pushed from established platforms to lesser-known, high-risk sites that aren’t on regulators’ radars.
While a full social media ban for young people is a bold step, Australia has the opportunity to lead the world in balancing child protection with positive digital engagement. Success in this endeavour would set a strong example for other countries aiming to create a safer, age-appropriate online environment. However, while concerns around young people’s safety online are of utmost importance, it is crucial to keep sight of the educational and developmental benefits social media provides young people. Rather than imposing an outright ban, age assurance technology empowers social media companies and online platforms with knowledge to better understand their users’ ages and subsequently tailor age-appropriate experiences. This approach would allow for a balanced solution, where platforms can create safer online environments while still fostering the positive aspects of social media for younger users.
As the Australian government forges ahead with this landmark legislation, it highlights an urgent need for platforms worldwide to consider practical, effective, and privacy-preserving age assurance methods. Verifymy can support with the implementation of highly effective age assurance. Contact us to learn more.
