Ofcom sets out age-check options for under-16 social media ban

Ofcom has set out the age-verification methods it considers highly effective for enforcing the ban on under-16s using social media, which is due to take effect next spring. The methods assessed as highly effective include photo ID matching, banking checks, facial age estimation and digital ID apps.

On ITV, Seham Ali described the four proposals. Photo ID matching would involve uploading a passport or driving licence alongside a selfie to check they match. Banking checks would use information banks already hold. Facial age estimation uses technology to estimate a user's age from their face, though she noted it can get the estimate wrong. Digital ID apps would keep a user's information in one app rather than sending it to each platform.

BBC News reported that Ofcom also cited a pass card used by teenagers in Scotland to get free bus travel as an example. The BBC's technology editor Zoe Kleinman reported that verifying teenagers' ages is trickier below 18 because many do not have credit cards, driving licences or passports.

BBC News reported that Ofcom said it was trying not to be too prescriptive because prescriptive age checks introduced for the pornography industry in other countries had not worked. The BBC reported that Ofcom said companies must preserve privacy and protect data, but decide what works for them. The BBC also reported that Ofcom admits many UK adults will have to verify they are over 16 to keep using social platforms, and that some will not want to.

ITV reported that none of the methods is foolproof. An expert told the channel that Australia's problem was too little age assurance rather than too much, because platforms simply were not asking children to prove their age. The expert said Ofcom could learn from Australia and detect attempts to use fake IDs or VPNs to pretend users are outside the UK. ITV also reported that Ofcom had introduced age checks across pornographic websites last year.

Sky News reported that an estimated 60% to 70% of under-16s in Australia are still using social media despite its ban, which was introduced nearly a year ago. Jess Butcher, founder and chief executive of Scroll Aware, which encourages a more responsible approach to social media, told Sky News the ban was still a huge success because Australia was the first to act and had triggered a global tipping point. She said the ban was designed to shift norms and send a message to parents, and that younger children who had not yet been exposed might benefit.

Ms Butcher also said the next period would be messy and enforcement difficult. She said a device-level cutoff, favoured by platforms and placing responsibility on Apple and Google, could be a good strategy, but that the law covers social media companies. She also said recent reports from Ofcom showed how hard the Online Safety Act is to enforce.

Ofcom's recommendations will now be considered by the government, with a decision due by the end of the year. The ban remains on track for spring.