The Australian government has pledged to impose a 16-year-old age limit on social media access and impose penalties for online platforms that do not comply.
But the Labor government has not said how it expects Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and others to actually enforce its age restrictions.
Anthony Albanese and Communications Minister Michelle Rowland have announced the possibility of social media users undergoing facial biometric scans, the possibility of online platforms using government databases to verify users' ages, or the possibility that all social media They did not rule out the possibility that users would be targeted. It said only that it would be subject to age checks, but it would be up to tech companies to set up their own processes.
The Prime Minister confirmed the age limit at a press conference on Thursday, which is the latest step in the government's increased oversight of major technology platforms, with legislation expected to be tabled in parliament this month. The country's government had announced plans to legislate an age limit, but was considering where that threshold would be set, with the age expected to be between 14 and 16.
But questions remain unanswered about how to effectively enforce them.
Mr Albanese said social media platforms had a responsibility to “demonstrate that they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access” by young people. There will be no penalties for users or their parents who access social media under the age of 16, but there will be penalties for platforms that do not comply with the new law, Rowland said.
“The eSafety Commissioner must take responsibility for enforcement and increase penalties to ensure compliance,” he said, adding that the current fine of less than $1 million in existing law is not enough. .
Mr Albanese cited concerns about the impact of social media on young people, including the potential for content related to misogyny and body image, as the basis for the new law. He said he had spoken to “thousands” of parents and other adults about the issue.
“They, like me, are deeply concerned about the safety of their children online,” he said. “We want parents and families in Australia to know that the government has your back. We want them to be able to say, 'Sorry, that's against the law.'”
Rowland said platforms “must take reasonable steps” to ensure the age of their users. The Government is currently conducting trials of potential age-guaranteed technology options, funded in May's budget.
The UK introduced the Age Guarantee Act, allowing banks and mobile phone companies to verify that users are over 18, conducting credit checks, using facial estimation technology, and asking users to upload photos to sites for matching. It outlined potential options, including requiring Comes with photo ID.
Advice provided to the Australian government states that “no country has successfully implemented age verification requirements”.
The age verification roadmap released last year by the eSafety Commissioner, who is tasked with enforcing the new age restrictions, recommends a “double-blind tokenization approach” in which third-party providers transfer information between sites and age assurance providers. are. Protect user privacy. The roadmap found the age guarantee market to be “immature but developing”.
Mr Albanese and Mr Rowland did not directly respond to questions about whether Australians should prepare for facial scans and ID checks to access social media.
Rowland said such questions would be answered by age-guaranteed exams, but added that “these platforms know their users better than anyone.”
Mr Albanese gave the example of young people who managed to access alcohol despite the 18-year-old age limit, and acknowledged that the law would not stop them from accessing all social media.
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“The first thing we want to say from the beginning is we don't expect to get 100% results here,” he says.
“We do not claim that the amendments we are about to legislate will solve everything immediately… but that these laws will help set the parameters for our society and ensure the right outcome. Masu.”
Asked whether they need to ensure that all social media users are over 18, regardless of age, Rowland said it's up to tech companies.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said it would follow the law if necessary, but questioned whether the technology was ready.
“The idea that we can somehow force the industry into a place where it technically isn't is probably somewhat misguided in terms of the current state of the industry,” said Antigone Davis, global head of safety at Meta. he told reporters. Thursday.
Mehta said teens can use up to 40 different apps, all of which require age verification, and that app stores such as those run by Apple and Google should shoulder the burden of enforcement. insisted.
Davis said requiring age verification on an app-by-app basis is complex, time-consuming and carries privacy risks.
“The current state of age assurance technology…requires some level of sharing of personally identifying information,” she said.
“That is typically in the form of an identity document or document ID, document or biometric type data, facial feature data of the young person, and if there is parental consent, the data contained therein to verify the parent. It’s just an additional layer of data.”
Snapchat and Google were also contacted for comment. TikTok declined to comment.
