Trial finds age assurance can be done, as under-16s social media ban deadline looms
Australia's world-leading laws to stop children and teenagers accessing some social media platforms are due to come into force in December, after the legislation passed parliament with bipartisan support late last year.
A 12-month buffer was built into the legislation to allow time for the e-Safety commissioner to figure out how to implement the ban, with consultations to begin next week, and the Age Assurance Technology Trial to be completed.
The Age Check Certification Scheme and software consultancy firm KJR were commissioned by the government last year to lead the testing and released their preliminary report on Friday, which offered a snapshot of "broad patterns and trends".
Companies that offer age assurance technology voluntarily put themselves forward for the trial, with interviews and testing then conducted on selected methods.
But the two-page preliminary report does not include details of what tests have been undertaken or the results of individual methods and technologies.
"The preliminary findings indicate that there are no significant technological barriers preventing the deployment of effective age assurance systems," project director Tony Allen said.
"These solutions are technically feasible, can be integrated flexibly into existing services and can support the safety and rights of children online."
The government is not treating the trial as a test of whether the social media ban can be implemented, nor a process to identify a single product or method to be imposed on tech companies to meet their obligations under the new laws.
The full results are expected to be handed to the communications minister by the end of next month, then made public later this year, but some experts have already raised concerns.
Earlier this week, ABC News revealed that face-scanning technology tested on school students as part of the trial this year could only guess their age within an 18-month range in 85 per cent of cases.
"I don't think the ban is viable," RMIT professor Lisa Given, who closely analysed the government's policy, told ABC News.
The preliminary report also found "concerning evidence" that, in the absence of specific guidance from government, some social media companies were "over-anticipating the eventual needs of regulators" about information that might be required for future investigations.
This included some providers that were found to be building tools to allow law enforcement agencies and regulators to retrace steps of verification, "which could lead to increased risk of privacy breaches due to unnecessary and disproportionate collection and retention of data".
The age assurance trial was initially conceived to assess the viability of technology to prevent children from accessing pornography online and has considered a range of methods.
It found there was no "one-size-fits-all" technology and that platforms would have to determine which one best suited their needs.
Under the ban, anyone under the age of 16 will be blocked from using platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, a move the government and the Coalition argue is necessary to protect children and teenagers' mental health and wellbeing.
While the ban only applies to young people, it will likely also require adults to verify their ages with social media providers.
Tech giants will face fines of up to $50 million if they fail to take "reasonable steps" to keep children and teens off their platforms. There are no penalties for parents of young people who subvert the ban.
Since the ban was announced, questions have been raised over whether existing technology could adequately police social media user ages, with the government yet to reveal how it will work in practice.
It does not have to adopt any findings from the trial, which has been running for about eight months, while the laws prevent social media companies from forcing users to hand over their government IDs.
Shadow communications minister Melissa McIntosh said the "time is ticking" for the government to implement the ban, which was first lobbied for by the Coalition.
"We are six months away from the age limit commencing and social media companies need clarity now around what requirements must be put in place to protect our children," she said.
"The government must get this right. No more young lives can be lost or families destroyed because of the toxicity of social media."
A spokesperson for Communications Minister Anika Wells, who took over the portfolio from Michelle Rowland after the election, said the final findings of the trial would be provided to the eSafety Commissioner to inform her implementation of the laws.
"The government will be guided by advice from the eSafety Commissioner on the implementation of the law," the statement read.
"We know that social media age restrictions will not be the be-all and end-all solution for harms experienced by young people online, but it's a step in the right direction to keep our kids safer."
An eSafety spokesperson welcomed the early findings and said the trial results would be just one input as they worked out how to implement the social media age restrictions.
"We are pleased to see the trial suggests that age assurance technologies, when deployed the right way and likely in conjunction with other techniques and methods, can be private, robust and effective," they said.
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