The Australian government plans to launch a selfie-based age verification system in December to limit teenagers' access to social media. However, a report commissioned by the government highlights significant inaccuracies in the program, as reported by Reuters.
The report states that age determination systems based on photos are generally effective, yet they show lower accuracy for individuals close to the minimum age of 16. The authors believe that the effectiveness of the program will depend on demographics; for instance, white 19-year-olds may face fewer issues, whereas non-white individuals and teenage girls could encounter difficulties.
This situation complicates matters for social networks owned by Meta (Instagram) and Alphabet (YouTube), as the law mandates them to prove they are taking adequate steps to block access to users under 16; otherwise, they risk hefty fines.
Testing showed high accuracy for individuals over 19, but those aged 16-18 fall into a "grey area" with a higher likelihood of errors. For 16-year-olds, the chance of being incorrectly identified as minors is 8.5%, leading to possible additional verification through documents or parental consent.
Experts have expressed skepticism about whether the ban can be effectively implemented within three months. "It seems the accuracy of results is highly variable, which raises concerns given the tight timeline for launching a reliable system by year-end," stated Justin Humphrey, a media researcher at the University of Sydney.
According to the Minister of Communications, the report demonstrates that there is no universal solution for age verification, yet it showed many effective options that can also ensure users' privacy.
As reported by IMI, on November 8, 2024, Australian states unanimously supported a national plan to ban children under 16 from using social media. In late November 2024, the Australian government passed legislation imposing significant fines on social networks for violating the proposed ban.
However, an exception was made for YouTube, as it is considered both a source of entertainment and an important educational resource for children, parents, educators, and schools.
Starting December 2025, Australia will enforce a ban on social media access for teenagers under 16, with the government promising substantial fines for platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and others that fail to verify users' ages and block underage accounts.
