Children will bypass social media ban for under 16s, Ofcom warns

Plans to bar under-16s from social platforms could be "significantly" strengthened by age verification checks, though some young people will still bypass the restrictions, Ofcom has warned.

In an evaluation released on Thursday, the media watchdog set out how tech companies might dependably limit access to addictive applications, as well as adult or damaging material.

The watchdog highlighted four techniques that prove "highly effective" for verifying if a user is at least 16: photo ID, banking checks, digital ID, and facial age estimation technology. However, it acknowledged that the possibility of bypass cannot be entirely eradicated.

Prime minister Andy Burnham intends to proceed with the proposed age restriction, which was originally unveiled near the close of Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership.

Ministers are anticipated to lay down formal legislation for the prohibition before the end of this year, ahead of a planned rollout in 2027. Australia enacted a comparable policy last year.

Ofcom said it was “inevitable” some under-16s would get around the checks but added 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.

The regulator also warned that some facial recognition technology could be inaccurate by several years, meaning some users would need to undergo a second check.

About 150,000 16 and 17-year-olds are estimated to have neither a licence nor a passport, limiting options to prove their age.

Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes said: “This ban will shape the future of children’s lives online so it’s important to get it right.

“It can work if social media firms do highly effective age checks properly, and we’ve set out ways that could be achieved.

She added: “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The regulator said it was developing draft guidance for social media firms that would open for consultation when the Government’s plans come before Parliament.

Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, set up in memory of 14-year-old Molly Russell, who took her own life in 2017 after viewing harmful content online, said the guidance was welcome but he had little confidence the ban could be delivered successfully.

He said: “Just last week the regulator admitted it had failed to reduce children’s exposure to any measure of harmful content.

“If the ban is to be enforced by the same failing regulator and with the same insufficient powers, we should expect the same dismal results we’ve seen in Australia.

“That means a ban that is widely flouted by the tech firms, offers confusion not simplicity to families and that presents a real risk of unintended safeguarding consequences.”