Age-Checking Technology Comes of Age

As governments crack down on online safety, age-checking technology is becoming increasingly sophisticated.

TL;DR
• Age-checking technology is improving rapidly, with facial analysis and machine learning playing key roles.
• Governments are pushing for stricter online safety laws, with Australia's ban on teen social media accounts serving as a model.
• The effectiveness of age-checking tools is being tested, with some companies struggling to keep up with teens' attempts to appear older.

Summary
Governments worldwide are implementing age-checking requirements for social networks, AI chatbots, and online services to protect children. This shift is driven by concerns over online abuse, teen mental health, and the spread of AI-generated child sexual images. Recent advancements in artificial intelligence have made age-gating tools more effective and affordable.

Key developments in age-checking technology include:
• Facial analysis and parental approval methods
• ID checks and digital clues to determine a user's age
• Improved accuracy and reduced costs for age verification

The age assurance market has matured, with trade groups, technical protocols, and certification schemes standardizing evaluation of these tools. Social media companies can now confidently estimate a user's age group using digital data.

The cost of age verification has decreased, with vendors charging under $1 per check for basic machine-only age assurance tools. Independent evaluations show face-scanning software's average error rate has decreased from 4.1 years in 2014 to 2.5 years.

Early implementation results include:
• Australia's eSafety commissioner reporting 4.7 million suspected underage accounts locked since the law took effect
• Meta and Snapchat taking down hundreds of thousands of suspected underage accounts

Regulators are watching the Australian experiment closely, with the European Commission President set to discuss age verification during a visit to Canberra. The UK is also swapping notes with Australian counterparts on child safety rules for social media and AI chatbots.

As age-checking technology continues to evolve, it's essential to consider the potential consequences of relying on it to protect young people online.