To address this issue, the government has initiated a trial for age verification technology, and today, some initial results have been shared to assess its feasibility.
The trial’s team has asserted that “age verification can be implemented in Australia and be private, sturdy, and effective” based on the early findings they have published.
There are a couple of providers as part of the trial that look to parental verification or consent systems.
These would require the parent to pass the age test or use ID to then enable the child’s account.
Curiously, the report highlights scant evidence on whether these systems can adjust to the changing abilities of children or support their right to engage.
What’s next for the social media ban?
These trials will continue, with likely some third-party provider authorisations or endorsements to come – allowing social media companies to then implement their systems into their account creation platforms.
Time is running out though.
It’s around six months until the ban comes into effect and we’re still a long way from any certainty around this process, and the finalisation of the guidelines around it.
For example, is YouTube banned? Its Shorts platform is identical to TikTok and Instagram Reels and is as high-risk for kids as any other part of the internet.
Additionally, what is the government doing to protect kids from Twitch streamers with inappropriate content, or kids streaming on Twitch being targeted by inappropriate comments and users?
Has the government even heard of Discord and do they know the risks it poses to kids in a far greater way than even some of the named social media platforms thus far?
The core principle we need to solve before the ban
How can an app tell the difference between a child who is 15 years and 10 months old, and a child who is 16 years old?
Until someone answers that question, the problem exists only on the shoulders of parents, and social media apps can’t be expected to somehow make that delineation on a user-by-user basis.
