Australia bans social networks for minors under 16 years of age

Options include age estimation, in which a user’s selfie video is biometrically analyzed and then deleted; the age verificationin which a user uploads identifying documents to a third-party provider who sends an anonymous confirmation “token” to the platform; and the age inferencein which a user’s email address is matched with other accounts.

“The approach the Australian government takes could influence how other countries approach online age checks for social media content,” said Julie Dawson, director of policy and regulation at age verification company Yoti, which carries out checks for Meta’s new enhanced privacy settings system for teenage Instagram users.

Some European countries and US states have legislated minimum ages for social media, but none have put in place an enforcement regime due to legal challenges based on the preservation of privacy and freedom of expression. Even lawmakers from Australia’s conservative opposition, whose support was needed for the center-left government’s ban to pass through Parliament, warned that the ban could justify the collection of personal information.

They echoed a message posted in November by Elon Musk, owner of

A last-minute change in the law stipulates that platforms that ask for identification documents must offer an alternative age gate.

Young users, younger technology

The pressure to block minors’ access to certain parts of the Internet has existed since pornography and gambling sites invaded the network’s beginnings, but it took on new urgency since a Meta whistleblower leaked internal emails in 2021 that supposedly showed that their products were harmful to young users.

Meta has claimed that the documents were misinterpreted. Rising demand has driven technological development, but no product is foolproof when it comes to combining accuracy, privacy, security and ease of use, says Tony Allen, CEO of the Age Check Certification Scheme, which will test the products for Australia according to these criteria.

Furthermore, many people in the age group targeted bans lack common identification documents, such as a driver’s license or credit card.