The Story The Sunday Edition: The AI that could block kids from social media
Apr 26, 2025
Mark Sellman, a Technology correspondent at The Times, and Helen Rumbelow, a Feature writer also from The Times, dive into Australia’s groundbreaking law that blocks social media access for users under 16. They discuss the potential of AI age-verification tools to enforce this ban and the implications for kids and parents alike. The conversation touches on the psychological effects of social media, the challenges of regulation, and firsthand insights from the tech industry about the current state of age estimation technologies.
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Helen Tests Yoti's Age AI
- Helen Rumbelow visited Yoti HQ to test their AI age estimation tech firsthand.
- The AI guessed ages within a year, even accurately for teens looking older or younger than their real age.
AI Excels at Teenage Age Estimation
- AI age estimation is most accurate with teens due to uniformity after puberty.
- It struggles with older adults due to diverse aging from environmental effects.
Yoti Protects User Privacy
- Yoti's system does not store users' facial images after checking age.
- It's distinct from facial recognition used by police; it discards the image immediately.