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Australia pushes 'minimally invasive' AI age checks for world-first teen social media ban
The law, passed in November, initially applied to platforms such as Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, before being expanded in July to include YouTube, following complaints about its earlier exemption.
The push comes amid growing global scrutiny of how social media affects teenagers’ mental health and well-being.
Australia is preparing to enforce its landmark teen social media ban from December, becoming the first country in the world to bar children under 16 from accessing major platforms.
On Tuesday, the country's internet safety watchdog, eSafety, released guidelines urging tech companies to adopt "minimally invasive" methods such as artificial intelligence (AI) and behavioural data analysis to verify users' ages, Reuters reported.
"eSafety recommends the most minimally invasive techniques available," the regulator reportedly said, emphasizing that social media firms already possess precise targeting technology for advertising and should be able to reliably infer a user's age without blanket re-verification.
As per the report, eSafety Commissioner Julie Iman Grant highlighted that adults should not face sweeping verification checks, adding: "They can target us with deadly precision when it comes to advertising - certainly they can do this around the age of a child," she said.
The law, passed in November, initially applied to platforms such as Meta's Facebook and Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, before being expanded in July to include YouTube, following complaints about its earlier exemption.
Federal Communications Minister Anika Wells urged companies to take "reasonable steps" to detect underage accounts, prevent re-registration, and offer accessible complaint channels. "We cannot control the ocean, but we can police the sharks and today we are making clear to the rest of the world how we intend to do this," she told reporters.
The push comes amid global scrutiny of how social media affects teenagers' mental health and well-being.
A February eSafety report found that 95% of Australian teens aged 13 to 15 used at least one social media platform since January 2024, though the actual figures are believed to be higher.
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