SYDNEY: Australia urged social media platforms on Tuesday to employ "minimally invasive" methods to check the age of users covered by its world-first teen social media ban, which takes into account artificial intelligence (AI) and behavioral data.
Governments and tech firms worldwide are closely monitoring Australia's efforts to become the first country to ban the use of social media by those under 16, starting from December.
"eSafety recommends the most minimally invasive techniques available," the internet watchdog said in its guidance for firms to comply with the law passed in November.
Social media platforms are not required to conduct blanket age verification, as firms can use existing data to infer age reliably, according to the eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant.
"We know that they have the targeting technology to do this," she told a media briefing.
"They can target us with deadly precision when it comes to advertising; certainly, they can do this around the age of a child."
She added, "Adults should not see huge changes ... it would be unreasonable if platforms re-verify everyone's age."
In July, Grant widened the ban to Alphabet-owned GOOGL.O YouTube, following complaints by Meta's META.O Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat SNAP.N and TikTok about an earlier decision to exempt the video-sharing site popular with teachers.
Google and Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In February, eSafety said 95% of teenagers aged 13 to 15 reported using at least one social media platform since January 2024 but warned that the actual numbers could be much higher.
Federal Communications Minister Anika Wells urged "reasonable steps" by social media companies to detect and deactivate underage accounts, to prevent re-registration and provide an accessible complaints process for their users.
"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," Wells told reporters.
There was no excuse for non-compliance, she added, as the platforms could do so, ranking among the world's biggest and best-resourced companies.
Amid concern about the impact on young people's mental health, Australia's ban passed into law in November 2024, with companies given a year to adopt it, while facing a December 10 deadline to deactivate the accounts of underage users.
