Australia is set to implement a groundbreaking law banning social media use for users under 16, effective November 2025. This legislation mandates social media platforms to adopt age-assurance technologies to verify user ages, marking a significant step in online safety for minors.
The trial of age-assurance technologies will begin next year, overseen by the eSafety Commissioner. This initiative is expected to influence similar regulations in other countries, as concerns about social media's effects on children grow.
Key players in the age-assurance sector include Entrust, IDnow, Jumio, Veriff, and Yoti, with Yoti participating in the Australian trial. The trial will test various technologies, including facial age estimation and digital ID verification.
The Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS), a UK non-profit, will oversee compliance testing. Its CEO, Tony Allen, emphasizes the global relevance of this technology, predicting widespread adoption across the internet.
Age assurance can be categorized into three types: age verification, age estimation, and age inference. While basic self-declaration methods are insufficient, more advanced techniques are expected to emerge, driven by privacy concerns and the need for effective age checks.
As this trial unfolds, it will be closely monitored for its implications on privacy and surveillance concerns, with expectations for new technologies to enhance age verification methods.