ABC News Daily Is the teen social media ban ready for rollout?
Jun 30, 2025
Ange Lavoipierre, ABC’s national technology reporter, dives into Australia's upcoming social media ban for kids under 16, set to kick off in December. She tackles the murky waters of which platforms will be affected and how age verification will work. The conversation highlights concerns over facial age estimation technology's accuracy seen in schools and innovative alternatives like voice analysis. Ange also discusses the pressing need for consistent regulations across platforms to ensure young users are protected from online dangers.
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Australia's Under-16 Social Media Ban
- Australia is set to ban social media access for children under 16 starting December.
- Platforms face fines up to $50 million if they fail to implement age restrictions properly.
Facial Age Tech Inaccuracy Example
- Students tested facial age-estimation tech that often misjudged ages by decades.
- Some 15-17-year-olds received age estimates ranging from their actual age up to 37.
Facial Age Estimation Accuracy Limits
- Facial age estimation tech got kids' ages within 18 months about 85% of the time.
- This margin leaves millions of users potentially misclassified in Australia.