We have published a rapid assessment of what highly effective age assurance looks like for determining whether someone is 16 or over.
We have produced this assessment to help inform parliamentary debate on the UK Government’s proposed new age restrictions for online services, which include a social media ban for under-16s and other age-related restrictions.
The Government has stated that the proposed restrictions will be implemented using highly effective age assurance. Our assessment sets out the age assurance methods that we consider are currently capable of being highly effective at 16, and considers how accessible and inclusive they are, including whether they can work effectively for all users. We also discuss how age assurance could be strengthened, including how services can reduce the risk of children circumventing age checks.
Our assessment shows that highly effective age assurance can be used to determine whether someone is 16 or over
We have based our assessment on the criteria and principles set out in our current guidance on highly effective age assurance at 18. We have therefore assessed methods against our criteria of technical accuracy, robustness, reliability and fairness, and considered the principles of accessibility and interoperability.
We have identified four age assurance methods capable of being highly effective at 16: photo ID matching, banking information, digital identity services and facial age estimation. Service providers could also offer adults (over 18s) three additional methods identified in our existing guidance.
Our assessment highlights important considerations for accessibility, privacy and circumvention.
- There is currently less choice of highly effective methods at 16 than 18. Additionally, 16- and 17-year-olds are more likely than over-18s to need access to a photo ID. This is because, of the methods currently available at 16, photo ID is either required as part of the method itself, or as the likely backstop for other methods, such as facial age estimation. This means that people without a form of photo ID will likely need to take steps to obtain one to access age-restricted services.
- Age assurance at 16 will involve the processing of personal data, but available methods can be deployed in ways that protect users’ privacy and comply with data protection law. We have worked closely with the Information Commission in considering these implications.
- No age assurance method is completely resistant to circumvention and service providers will need to take practical steps to identify and address attempts by children to bypass age checks.
We have also published Ofcom’s statutory report on app stores, which is designed to inform the government’s decision on whether to bring app stores into scope of the Online Safety Act.
Ofcom is developing draft guidance for services to support implementation of the proposed age restrictions and will consult on draft guidance on highly effective age assurance at 16 in the coming months, following the laying of the draft regulations.