Australia Set to Enforce Age Verification for Social Media
Australia is stepping into the spotlight with new legislation aimed at protecting minors online. A law set to take effect in November 2025 will prohibit individuals under the age of 16 from using social media platforms unless these companies can verify their ages. This means that social media businesses will need to take "reasonable steps" to confirm users’ ages to keep children away from their services.
The specifics of what constitutes “reasonable steps” have yet to be detailed, as the legislation was passed without clear definitions. To explore effective age-checking technologies, Australia plans to conduct trials next year. These trials will be supervised by the country’s eSafety Commissioner and are expected to draw attention from around the world, especially considering ongoing worries about social media’s influence on children’s mental health.
As more countries look to follow suit with similar age restrictions, demand for age verification technologies is likely to grow. Companies in this field include well-known names such as Entrust, which recently acquired the British startup Onfido; IDnow from Germany; Jumio, initially focused on online payments; Estonia-based Veriff; and Yoti, a veteran in the U.K. market. Notably, Yoti has confirmed its participation in the Australian trials, testing its facial age estimation technology alongside its Digital ID app.
Understanding Age Assurance Technology
The upcoming trials in Australia will be run by the Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS), a U.K. non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring age assurance technologies meet required standards. Tony Allen, the ACCS CEO, explained that the organization conducts global testing and certification of age verification systems.
While Australia’s initiative is currently the talk of the town, Allen mentioned that similar projects are taking place worldwide, predicting that age assurance technology will soon become a common feature across more internet platforms.
Age assurance comprises three main categories:
- Age Verification: This method confirms the exact date of birth using official documents like a government ID.
- Age Estimation: This approach provides an estimated age rather than an exact birth date.
- Age Inference: This technique deduces a user’s age based on other confirmed information, like owning a credit card or mortgage, which typically minor users do not have.
While a simple age gate that asks users to self-declare their birth date counts as age assurance, such methods are easily bypassed by children and likely won’t meet the new Australian law’s standards. More sophisticated methods will probably be required for compliance in Australia and similar regulations being considered in other regions.
Privacy Concerns
Privacy has become a critical factor for new age assurance technologies. Allen emphasizes that while age verification has existed for many years, recent advancements allow it to be done with greater respect for users’ privacy. Today’s technologies focus on keeping data secure and minimizing the amount of personal information shared.
Concerns about age verification leading to mass surveillance are generally unfounded, according to Allen. He assures that the systems tested do not create a database for tracking users and follow strict international standards that prohibit such practices.
Growing Interest in Age Verification
Although Yoti refrained from predicting the outcomes of the trial, the company is paying close attention to lawmakers’ expectations regarding age estimation techniques, particularly face recognition. High-compliance methods such as these may appeal to social media platforms, especially since some, like Instagram, have already experimented with facial recognition age checks.
There remains uncertainty about how strict regulators will be regarding acceptable margins of error in such technologies. As the situation evolves, Allen foresees a surge in age assurance companies looking to enter the market and innovate solutions, with ideas ranging from monitoring age through heart rate to analyzing hand movements.
The Australian age verification trial represents a significant step toward safeguarding young internet users, and its potential outcomes could reshape how social media platforms operate on a global scale.
