What you need to know

• Australian consumers are sceptical about the effectiveness of a social media age ban but support the principle behind it.
• Key concerns include doubts about the implementation of age assurance technologies and significant worries regarding data privacy and potential breaches.
• A University of Sydney study found 72 per cent of young people and 86 per cent of parents believe more effective age limits would enhance online safety, yet many doubt these measures will be effective.
• The planned social media ban for children is expected to be implemented after the next election, with bipartisan support and initial steps starting in the second half of 2025.

Australian consumers are sceptical that a social media age ban will work, think it’s an example of short-term quick-fix thinking, but are nonetheless broadly supportive of the principle. These are some of the key insights about consumer attitudes in the latest report from the team responsible for determining the best solutions to implement the policy.

The paper, “D-2.9 Evaluation Proposal” was released last Thursday by the Age Assurance Technology Trial team (AATT) tasked with exploring a way to implement the Federal Government's social media usage ban for children under 16 years of age. The authors draw on a range of studies of consumers in Australia and the UK in order to understand views around the approach, and ways to make it happen. ESafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, described the report on LinkedIn as "an 'all hands on deck' effort to ensure that there is clarity, rigour and clear expectations around the Age Assurance Technology Trial."

Among the specific concerns in the report are:

• There is a pervasive doubt about how well age assurance technologies can be implemented in practice, with many believing they will not work as intended.
• Concerns over data privacy are significant, particularly regarding the handling of personal information and the risk of data breaches.
• Overall scepticism about the ability of age assurance technologies to genuinely enhance online safety for children persists.

When the social media age limit bill was introduced into the Parliament in November last year, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland signalled the Government’s appreciation of these concerns. "This is about protecting young people – not punishing or isolating them – and letting parents know we’re in their corner when it comes to supporting their children’s health and wellbeing," she said.

In a section looking at consumer attitudes, the new report references a University of Sydney study of Australian teenagers aged 12-17 and their parents, called Emerging Online Safety Issues – Co-creating Social Media with Young People – Research Report, based on focus groups, co-design workshops and a national survey of 1200 participants conducted between 2022 and 2023.

“Their findings suggest that age verification is generally supported, with 72 per cent of young people and 86 per cent of parents believing that more effective age limits would improve online safety for young people. However, participants think it likely would not work.”

Band-aid approach

Yet according to the new report, consumers see age verification as a band-aid.

“Many participants expressed doubt about the practical implementation of these technologies, indicating a belief that they may not work as intended. This sentiment suggests a disconnect between the desire for safety and confidence in the proposed solutions," the report authors state.

Instead, consumers believe there are better ways of keeping people safe, including more safety education, face-to-face dialogue, and accountability from social media companies.

On that last point, the Government appears to agree. As Mi3 reported last week, a landmark report by Delia Rickard has Big Tech squarely in the crosshairs, demanding platforms be held accountable for the online harms they facilitate – and rein-in algorithms that pump ad takings by driving increasingly extreme content.

That reflects another focus of this new report: Concerns about data protection and privacy.

These were raised by both children and adults, according to the Age Assurance Technology Trial (AATT) paper. Specific reference was given to organisations sharing identity documents with online services to prove age. At the heart of those concerns is the risk of data breaches and leaks of sensitive information.

AATT also notes the findings of a separate study by the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), where parents and children express ambivalence about the existing solutions, on the not unreasonable basis that many of them have successfully lied their way into online services in the past. This was particularly true with the “self-declaration processes used by social media platforms”.

Instead, the theme to emerge from the AATT paper is that consumers want the government to strike a balance between effectiveness and convenience.

“Parents expressed a desire for methods that are not only secure but also easy to use, reflecting a need for user-friendly technologies that do not compromise on safety,” the report states.

Consumers believe an Age Assurance Test is about restricting access, rather than a genuine attempt to “safe and beneficial online experiences”. There's also decided lack of confidence in existing technical solutions, and many believe there is a “need for innovative approaches that can effectively address consumer concerns”.

According to the AATT report, “These attitudes reflect a complex landscape in which the need for child protection online is urgent, but confidence in the available solutions is lacking. The findings suggest that any future age assurance technologies must address these concerns directly to gain public trust and acceptance.”

The social media ban for children won’t be implemented until after the election, however, it has bipartisan support, and with a move to implementation likely to start in the second half of 2025 after the AATT delivers its final report mid-2025.