Ofcom recommends social media age checks for everyone over 16

The online safety watchdog, Ofcom, has published its recommendations for social media companies to verify users’ age ahead of a UK ban for under-16s in March.

Ofcom have conducted a ‘rapid assessment’ of age verification methods to inform Parliamentary debates over the details of the proposed social media ban. The government announced a ban on the top ten social media platforms for those under 16 back in June which will come into force in March next year.

The communications watchdog has identified four methods of ‘highly effective age assurance’ for those under 16. These are photo ID matching, which checks information on an official photo ID document such as a passport or driving licence; banking-based checks, which use the information held by banks to verify a users’s age; digital ID services, which allow users to register and use the system to verify age on multiple platforms; and facial age estimation, which uses a facial scan to determine the user’s age.

Ofcom warn that there are some age verification measures which are not highly effective, such as self-declaration, contractual agreements, and parental consent, which should not be used. Age inference methods, which estimate a person’s age based on their online behaviour, cannot be used for an age-based block as it requires the person to already be using the system. Ofcom also say that greater use of age checks by app stores will have a part to play in ensuring online safety duties are met.

The recommendations recognise that the upcoming ban will mean that adults will likely be required to prove their age in order to keep using their social media accounts. “Some adults with existing social media accounts will not need to complete an age check,” they note, but “many adults are still likely to be asked by sites and apps to prove their age”.

Ofcom say that some circumvention of age checks will be inevitable, but implementation of highly effective measures will help to reduce the likelihood. In addition, Ofcom have recommended other ways that platforms could mitigate the risk of circumvention, such as allowing other users to report suspected underage accounts, or using age inference methods to determine if a user is underage. Ofcom say they will monitor the level of circumvention that is happening and will publish their research within a year of the ban coming into effect.

Ofcom’s Chief Executive, Dame Melanie Dawes, said: “This ban will shape the future of children’s lives online, so it’s important to get it right. It can work if social media firms do highly effective age checks properly… When it comes into force next year, we’ll be ready to take swift and firm action against any company that fails to comply… This will be a huge cultural shift for our society, so it’ll take time to adjust, and everyone will have a part to play.”