Adults in the UK could be asked to show photo ID to use social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat once the ban on under-16s takes effect in March, GB News reports, after Ofcom published its assessment of age checks on Thursday.
The regulator named four methods it considers highly effective: banking checks, photo ID, digital ID and facial age estimation. It warned that facial estimation alone may not be accurate enough to tell whether someone is over 16, and suggested a "challenge 25" approach like that used in shops. Ofcom accepted that 16 and 17-year-olds without a passport or driving licence would probably need to get one.
Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes said the ban could work if firms carried out checks properly, though some children would inevitably try to get around them. Campaign groups criticised the proposals.
Source: GB News
