Australia's 'ban on social media for minors' is failing because age verification is not functioning.
In Australia, which has implemented the world's first law banning minors from using social media, a government investigation has revealed that age verification, intended to prevent minors from creating accounts, is actually not working at all.
EXCLUSIVE: Australia's teen social media ban fails to clear first hurdle in age checks, says study | Reuters
Australia's kid social media ban is ineffective, study suggests | Mashable
https://mashable.com/tech/australia-social-media-ban-ineffective-study-suggests
In Australia, the Online Safety Amendment Act of 2024 (SNS Minimum Age Act) will come into effect in December 2025, requiring platform operators to take measures to prevent minors from using social media. The law aims to protect minors by requiring targeted service providers to disable accounts for users under 16 years old.
However, a survey conducted three months after the law came into effect revealed that nearly 90% of those under 16 were still using social media.
Three months after the enforcement of the SNS ban law, it has been revealed that approximately 86% of those under 16 continue to use social media - GIGAZINE
To ensure strict adherence to the law, fines for violations will be doubled.
This time, the Australian government team created accounts for minors across nine social media platforms. However, most platforms did not require age verification for minors, and the only platform that did not allow account creation without age verification was Kick, a live streaming platform based in Australia.
Kick
Photo-based online age verification methods have accuracy issues, and in the UK, which is also strengthening age verification for minors, it has been pointed out that children are bypassing the process by methods such as 'drawing mustaches on their photos.'
'Children are bypassing online age verification by drawing mustaches on their faces,' reveals the reality - GIGAZINE
This study suggests that the system for predicting age based on activity is not functioning correctly.
Snap and TikTok declined to comment on the matter, while Google and SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment. A Meta spokesperson questioned whether the test contradicts the guideline that 'formal age verification will be initiated if activity suggests the user may be a minor, or if the account is reported.'
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Kick reportedly stated that it is not practical to rely on age inference because the platform is still new and does not have enough data to estimate users' ages.
A spokesperson for the Australian regulator stated, 'We are confident that age-restricted platforms have the technology and resources to prevent Australian children under the age of 16 from having accounts. If implemented correctly, (multi-stage checks) are guaranteed to be secure.'
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