Face scanning age verification for 'prohibition of use of SNS by those under 16' is not working properly
Australia, which passed the world's first law banning the use of social networking sites by people under the age of 16, is currently testing age verification tools to prevent minors from using social networking sites, but it has come to light that the age verification is not working very well. There have been reports of teenagers being identified as 37 years old, and there have also been cases where companies have tried to collect excessive personal information.
Home - Age Assurance Technology Trial
Six months out from teen social media ban, age-checking tech mistakes kids for 37-year-olds - ABC News
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-19/teen-social-media-ban-technology-concerns/105430458
Age verification tool for social media ban misidentifies teens as 37-year-olds | ABC NEWS - YouTube
Trial reveals flaws in tech intended to enforce Australian social media ban for under-16s | Social media | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/jun/20/social-media-ban-trial-tech-flaws
Australia's teen social media ban faces a new wildcard: teenagers | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australias-teen-social-media-ban-faces-new-wildcard-teenagers-2025-06-19/
In November 2024, Australia passed a law banning the use of social media by anyone under the age of 16. While various countries have put forward various measures to protect children in the online environment, Australia is the first country to pass a law that specifically bans social media.
Australia passes world's first law banning use of social media by people under the age of 16, targets X, TikTok, Instagram, etc. but excludes YouTube - GIGAZINE
The law will come into force within 12 months and will require social media companies to take reasonable steps to 'prevent Australians under the age of 16 from having accounts'.
For this reason, the Age Assurance Technology Trial, which uses 60 different tools, has been running since January 2025, but it has been reported that the trial is not going very well. Australian news station ABC has pointed out that face scanning technology is only 85% accurate at determining a user's age, even with an 18-month margin of error.
Specifically, a 16-year-old male was judged to be '19, 23, 26, or 37 years old,' while a 17-year-old female was judged to be '14 to 32 years old.' The female commented, 'I'm usually told I look older than 17, so I thought it was funny that I looked 14,' but when asked about being judged to be 32, she said, 'My aunt is about that age, so it's a bit humiliating. I don't want to look 32 yet.' Similarly, a 17-year-old female who was judged to be '13' by one of the tools said, 'I'm almost 18, so when I try to use social media, I get told, 'I don't meet the age requirement,' and it's annoying.'
Ian Corby of the Age Verification Providers Association , an industry group for companies that deal with age verification technology, said the ABC's reported figure of 85% accuracy with an 18-month margin of error was 'pretty much what we'd expect.'
In addition to facial scanning, there are other methods of age verification using biological characteristics such as voice and hand movements, but as with facial scanning, there are few service providers because there are problems with accuracy. A reliable way to verify age is to use a government-issued ID such as a passport or driver's license, but the law prohibits social media companies from requesting such ID.
While companies struggle to find ways to verify ages, some under-16s who are subject to social media bans are hoping that more exploitative methods like face scanning will be provided.
Communications Minister Annika Wells told the ABC: 'We recognise that age restrictions on social media will not solve all the harm young people experience online, but it is a step in the right direction to keep children safer.'
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