- UK children under 16 will be banned from using the ten biggest social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat, from March 2027.
- Ofcom has suggested four methods that could be “highly effective” at age checking, including: Photo ID matching, banking checks, digital ID services and face age estimation technology.
- The regulator has warned it is “inevitable” that some young people will bypass the checks, adding that social media firms could reduce the risk by making it easier to report suspected underage accounts or by using technology that estimates a user’s age from their online behaviour.
- Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes said: “We should expect that motivated children will seek to bypass the restrictions – just like alcohol laws can’t completely eradicate underage drinking – but there’ll be ways for platforms to mitigate this risk.”
- The UK initiative follows similar measures in Australia and has received overwhelming public backing, with 90 per cent of parents supporting the ban.
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