The age assurance requirements underpinning the Federal Government’s plan to prevent under 16s from having social media accounts are “practical and achievable” according to a new report.
Federal Communications Minster Anika Wells said the final report of the independent Age Assurance Technology Trial, released this week, found age assurance technology was effective in protecting young Australians from explicit and age-inappropriate content online.
Minister Wells said the trial assessed more than 60 technologies from 48 age assurance vendors, and spanned a range of approaches, including:
- Age verification: Matching users with provided documentation.
- Age estimation: Including based on physical features and hand movements.
- Age inference: Using existing information to infer the user’s age.
“The trial report reveals age assurance is practical and achievable,” she said.
“While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, the report clearly states there are a range of technologies that can be used effectively for different use cases – many of which are already being used by online service in Australia and abroad.”
Minister Wells said the report also highlighted that tools and systems existed to actively address circumvention, such as AI-generated spoofing, document forgeries and the use of VPNs.
“Australians have high expectations of platforms to protect their data and age assurance providers involved in the trial demonstrated a strong understanding of the importance of privacy and personal information.”
She said the report findings were part of a broad evidence base being considered by the eSafety Commissioner in developing guidance to industry regarding the social media minimum age obligation.
“Failure to take reasonable steps to prevent under 16s from having an account could see age-restricted platforms fined up to $49.5 million.
“This report is the latest piece of evidence showing digital platforms have access to technology to better protect young people from inappropriate content and harm.”
Read the full report: Age Assurance Technology Trial: Final Report
