The Australian government has announced plans to introduce a selfie-based age verification system in December to restrict access for teenagers to social media platforms. However, a report prepared for the government highlights several issues regarding the accuracy of this program, according to Reuters.
The report indicates that age verification systems using photos generally perform well but struggle with individuals close to the minimum age limit of 16 years. The authors of the report suggest that the effectiveness of the program will vary by demographic group: white individuals aged 19 are likely to face fewer issues, while non-white individuals and teenage girls may encounter more challenges.
This situation is further complicated for social media networks like Meta (Instagram) and Alphabet (YouTube), as new laws will require them to demonstrate that they are taking appropriate measures to block access to users under 16 years of age, or face fines of up to AUD 49.5 million (USD 32 million).
Testing of the program has shown high accuracy for individuals over 19 years old, but those aged 16-18 remain in a “grey area” with a higher likelihood of errors. For 16-year-olds, the risk of being incorrectly identified as underage is 8.5%, which may lead to the need for additional verification through documentation or parental consent.
“While the systems overall have shown good results across various user groups, the accuracy of some programs was lower for older individuals, non-white users, and those who appear female and are near the defined legal age threshold,” the report states.
Experts in social media have expressed doubts regarding the feasibility of implementing the ban within three months.
“It appears that the accuracy of results is highly variable. This variability raises concerns given the short timeline for launching a system that must be reliable and fully operational by the end of the year,” said Justin Humphrey, a media researcher at the University of Sydney specializing in internet security.
According to Communications Minister Anika Wells, the report demonstrates that “there is no universal solution for age verification; however, this testing showed that there are many effective options and, importantly, that user privacy protections are real.”
As reported, on November 8, 2024, Australian states unanimously supported a national plan to prohibit children under 16 from using social media. At the end of November 2024, the Australian government passed legislation imposing multi-million dollar fines on social media platforms for violating the proposed ban on services for children under 16.
However, the government made an exception for YouTube. As explained by Communications Minister spokesperson Michelle Rowland, YouTube serves as a source of entertainment but is also an important educational resource used by children, parents, educators, and schools.
Starting December 2025, a ban on social media for teenagers under 16 will come into effect in Australia. Authorities promise to impose multi-million dollar fines on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and other platforms if they fail to verify the age of their users and block accounts belonging to minors.