Australia's teen social media ban put to ultimate test: skeptical kids
STORY: When 15-year-old Emanuel Casa tested the age-checking software Australia might use to enforce a social media ban for minors, he got a glimpse into his future.
Six months from now, the system could ban him from social media.
And he was shocked by how well it worked:
"Some of them would be like pretty bang on, just like 14 years, and other ones would be like 16.087654 like a bunch of decimal numbers, but yeah."
From December, social media companies like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok could face fines of more than $30 million if they don't take 'reasonable steps' to block underage users in Australia.
This is in an effort by the government to protect younger users' mental and physical health.
The platforms currently require users to be at least 13 to sign up.
The country is now trialing a photo-based age-checking software to help enforce the new law.
14-year-old Charlie Price also participated in a trial that tested four software options with 60 peers, and his age was guessed correctly.
But it wasn't foolproof.
"Most of mine were accurate, I had a couple of friends that, one of them said that they were like 20-something so, you know, a bit here and there, but mine were usually on point."
While Price says he wouldn't try to get around the ban, he thinks others might.
"So when it got my age right, it would be pretty difficult to get around that. Like if somehow I got my age wrong then I could get through that, but if it doesn't get my age wrong then I can't find a workaround by myself."
His experience highlights a key concern for child protection advocates, tech firms and even trial organizers themselves:
Even if the software works in trials, young people may still find ways to bypass it in real life.
Andrew Hammond is a general manager at tech contractor KJR who helped run the trial, said the software works but isn't perfect and could be fooled.
"I mean, personally, my personal opinion is yeah. I'm a father of three daughters, they are all over 16 now, but we lived through the social media, sort of the adoption of social media with my eldest daughter, and then the younger two sort of came through when it was more common place and so, I think as a parent and a technologist, I think the technology, it's not foolproof and there's no silver bullet solution to every use case that there is, but I think this is a, it's a move in the right direction."
Trial organizers, including Hammond, won't recommend specific products, but will present findings on June 20 and give a full report to the government by the end of July.
This will help the country's eSafety Commissioner advise ministers, who want to reduce risks like cyberbullying and harmful online content.
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