Ofcom Details Age Verification for UK Social Media Ban

Ofcom proposes four primary methods for age verification: photo ID matching, banking-based checks, face age estimation technology, and digital ID services. These methods are considered "highly effective" at age checking, Ofcom states.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham intends to move forward with the proposed age restriction. Ministers expect to introduce formal legislation before the end of the year, with a planned rollout in 2027.

The UK's approach is tougher than Australia's. A similar ban introduced there last year saw many children bypass the restrictions. Some tech companies, including Meta, call for age verification at the device level, though Apple already introduced such measures in the UK.

Ofcom maintains that device-level age verification would not absolve social network providers from conducting their own checks. The regulator concedes many UK adults will likely need to confirm they are not underage using one of the proposed measures, affecting a "large number of accounts" social media companies will need to manage.

Dame Melanie Dawes acknowledged the inevitability of some young people bypassing the checks. "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," she stated.

Dawes also emphasised the importance of the implementation. "This ban will shape the future of children’s lives online so it’s important to get it right." She added that the system "can work if social media firms do highly effective age checks properly, and we’ve set out ways that could be achieved."

Ofcom acknowledges "the risk of circumvention cannot be entirely eliminated," and some children will succeed in bypassing the age checks. "This will be a huge cultural shift for our society, so it'll take time to adjust, and everyone will have a part to play," Dawes concluded.