The UK’s upcoming under-16s social media ban can learn from Australia’s experience, where a recent study found that as many as 85% of under-16s are still using social media despite the ban.
Reporters found the ban has had little impact on the number of under-16s using social media in Australia, with daily use among 12-13 year-olds remaining the same as before the ban.
The study, published by the BMJ, also found that social media platforms have not implemented effective methods to prevent children from accessing them, with many young people using fake ages or other people’s accounts to circumvent the ban.
Andy Lulham, chief operating officer at Verifymy, said the UK government must learn from Australia’s experience and provide clear guidance to platforms on age assurance measures, such as using venture capital funding to support development of age verification technology.
They want to truly deliver effective age assurance, the Government must learn from the lessons in Australia and provide unambiguous guidance to platforms that makes it clear what they must do and the consequences of inaction, Lulham said.
The UK’s ban is set to come into force in spring 2027.
One key difference between the two countries’ approaches is the use of fines for ineffective age assurance, with the UK having already issued fines in recent cases concerning the Online Safety Act, which has already shown that the UK is willing to take a strong stance on age assurance.
In contrast, Australia’s government has not yet issued any fines to social media providers since the ban came into effect, highlighting a difference in approach between the two countries.
They may be more punitive, which could lead to more effective age assurance measures being implemented by social media platforms, and the UK government has strong words for digital platforms regarding age assurance measures.
Researchers found the use of VPNs to get around national policy has not increased significantly since the ban came into effect in Australia.
This suggests young people are finding other ways to access social media, such as using fake ages or other people’s accounts, and the UK government will need to address this issue as part of its ban.
Lulham noted that age assurance should be at the frontline when it comes to implementing the UK social media ban, but the details of how this will be achieved are still unclear, and the UK government will need to provide more guidance on this issue.
As the UK moves forward with its ban, it will be important to monitor the effectiveness of age assurance measures and make adjustments as needed to ensure that the ban is successful in reducing the number of under-16s using social media, and the UK can learn from the experience of other countries, such as Australia, where the ban has not been entirely successful.
With the ban not set to come into force until spring 2027, there is still time for the government and Ofcom to learn from Australia’s experience and implement effective age assurance measures, such as those used to prevent forex trading scams.
According to Liz Kendall, age assurance should be a key part of the UK’s approach to regulating social media, and it is likely that this will be a major focus of the government’s efforts in the coming months, particularly as the UK seeks to support the development of new technologies, such as those being developed by Inherent AI lab.
The Australian government has faced criticism for its handling of the social media ban.
