Identity crisis: How the under-16s social media ban from December 10 will affect Australians of all ages

Adults could be forced to hand over IDs or bank account details to social media giants to retain access to their social media accounts when the under-16 ban begins next week.

To reduce cyberbullying and teen suicide, from December 10, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, Kick and Twitch will have to prove account holders were born before a certain date in 2009.

The social media giants are likely to use biometric facial recognition software to determine if people are below the minimum age.

AI will monitor social media use and who people follow online. Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and Threads, is using a third party app, Yoti, to analyse video selfies.

The social media age restriction could force many young adults or those new to a platform to get a government ID to continue accessing them, said Professor Daniel Angus, the director of Queensland University of Technology’s Digital Media Research Centre.

“The idea of using government-issued ID — instead of passports, driver’s licence — is another mechanism platforms could choose to use to verify your identity,” he told The Nightly.

“Again, that brings massive risk. The internet since it’s been in existence has largely been on the premise that you can be anonymous online. Do you really want to begin handing over your real name and real identification details to every other website?”

Dr Joanne Orlando, a digital wellbeing expert, said the tech platforms would be using artificial intelligence to monitor account activity, photos and voice recordings to determine if someone was over 16. Biometric facial recognition would also be deployed.

“Regardless of how long you’ve had the account for, they still do the same process on all of us,” the author of Generation Connected: How to Parent in a Digital World — at Every Age and Stage told The Nightly.

“I think it’s quite an invasive way of doing it.”

Snapchat will be seeking bank account details via the ConnectID platform, owned by Australian Payments Plus.

“So, pretty high level, sensitive IDs are being asked to be uploaded. A lot of people are very cagey about doing that,” Dr Orlando said.

ConnectID insists social media users are safe, declaring on its website that it “does not see or store any personal information at any time”.

The Federal Government insists adults who have been using Facebook since the early 2010s would not have to hand over ID, based on the logic a child could not have set up an account as a baby.

“Many Australians with existing accounts may not need to provide any further data – as social media platforms likely already have enough information on you,” a spokesman for Communications Minister Anika Wells told The Nightly.

“For example — if you’ve had your Facebook since 2010 or your Instagram since 2012, you’re clearly not under 16.”

The Federal Government insists young adults who are new to social media would not be forced to provide their driver’s licence or passport numbers to a Californian social media giant.

“No — the law clearly states that a platform cannot just ask for ID to prove a person’s age. It could be one option they ask for, but not the only option — so if a person is comfortable uploading their ID then that’s fine, but if they’re not, the platform has to give them another option,” the ministerial spokesman said.

Teens opposed

QUT’s Digital Media Research Centre has released a new report showing those under 16 were mainly opposed to the ban.

“Kids aren’t as stupid as they might think we are. I feel the dangers that they’re trying to protect us from, I was like we’re well aware of,” a girl, 15, told the researchers.

A boy, 15, said he relied on social media to keep in touch with people and be aware of current affairs.

“I enjoy talking to people and keeping good connections with people,” he said.

“It also keeps me up to date with what’s going on — in political ways and what’s going on in the world with news and things.”

Their views were sourced from half-hour, in-person and online interviews with 86 youths aged 12-15 across Australia.

Data from the eSafety Commissioner shows 80 per cent of children aged eight to 12 have a social media or messaging account, mainly set up with help from their parents.

While Facebook is banned from next week for those under 16, children will still be allowed to access the affiliated Messenger app, which is also owned by Meta and another messaging site, WhatsApp.

Kids will also be able to access Discord, a social chat platform for gamers, along with code-sharing site GitHub, Google Classroom, YouTube Kids, LEGO Play, image and video sharing site Pinterest, game-creation site Roblox, and gaming site Steam.

Professor Angus predicted the Federal Government would have to keep expanding the list of banned sites as children figured out how to get around the restrictions.

“What we’re about to see is a game of whack-a-mole where platforms are added on or off this list. We’re already seeing youth migrate to alternate platforms that offer similar services to those already on the banned list,” he said.

The Coalition in Opposition last year supported Labor’s Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 but independent senator David Pocock, the Greens and One Nation were opposed to the new law that imposes a $50 million fine on tech platforms.

Australia’s age restriction on social media is being considered by other countries including Singapore, New Zealand and Spain, while Denmark, Brazil, Indonesia and Malaysia have already legislated minimum age access. This is occurring 13 years after Australia became the first country in the world to mandate a plain packaging of cigarettes.