Ofcom has set out its recommendations for the most effective ways to identify which of the UK’s millions of social media users are aged over 16.
Under the UK’s social media ban – which is due to come into force in March next year – those under that age will be prevented from accessing ten of the biggest platforms, including Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.
Many UK adults are also likely to have to confirm that they are not under-age by using one of the proposed measures, which are subject to government approval.
A similar ban was introduced in Australia last year but many children there have found ways to get round it. The UK says it intends to take a tougher approach.
Age verification below 18 is challenging because 16 and 17 year olds don’t have credit cards or full driving licences, and may not have passports either. They can also look significantly older or younger than they are.
To address that challenge, Ofcom has – in addition to traditional forms of ID – recommended four methods that it says would be “highly effective” at gauging people’s ages:
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photo ID matching, where relevant information on a photo ID document such as a passport is checked against a live image taken during an age check
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banking-based checks, which involves using the information a financial institution has on record regarding a user’s age
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face age estimation technology (which the regulator argues has recently improved)
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digital ID services, which enable people to digitally prove who they are or provide information about themselves, such as their age
The has asked three of the UK’s biggest banks whether they would have a process for assisting with social media requests for age verification if it did become an official measure.
However, ultimately it will be up to the tech companies to figure out how to implement the checks: the onus is on social network providers to come up with their own solutions and comply.
Ofcom CEO Dame Melanie Dawes said the regulator was drawing on its experience in introducing tougher age checks for porn sites last year:
“What we’ve learned in introducing age checks across the porn industry is that actually what a lot of countries did before us was say you need to do it this way and they were very prescriptive and it didn’t work,” she told the .
“So what we’ve said all along is here are things that can work, they must preserve privacy, they must protect people’s data, but it’s on you to put in place what you think works for you.”