Instagram’s process for determining if a user is over 16 is relatively quick and painless if you’re obviously an adult — but how does it work if a 13-year-old tries to change the date of birth on their account so they appear older?
Meta in November began informing Instagram and Facebook users whose date of birth is set to be under 16 – or who the platform deems to be under 16 – that their accounts will be deactivated as part of Australia’s social media restrictions for children. The ban will take effect December 10, but Meta has said it will begin removing access to users under 16 from December 4.
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As part of Guardian Australia’s reporting on what the platforms show for different age demographics, a phone was set up with dummy social media accounts.
An experiment was set up on Instagram, with the age set at 15, to see what would happen when the under-16 social media restriction came into effect. Instagram later sent out a notification: “Due to laws in Australia, you will soon no longer be able to use social media until you are 16.
“You will not be able to use your Instagram account until you turn 16. This means that you cannot use Instagram and your profile will not be visible to you or other people until then.
“We’ll let you know when you can use Instagram again.”
The account was then presented with two options: download the account data and prepare to deactivate it until the user turns 16, or review the date of birth.
Choosing the latter allows the user to take a “video selfie” to prove that the account holder is over 16. The app accessed the front-facing camera and required the test user, an adult with thick facial hair, to move his head from side to side, similar to the verification method used to set up face-unlock on a smartphone.
A notification then said that verification usually takes one to two minutes, but could take up to 48 hours.
The app immediately reported that the account set up by the test adult user was marked as over 16.
In a separate test, a 13-year-old child set up a new account on a phone that had never had Instagram installed using a date of birth that clearly showed they were under 16 years of age. There was no immediate notice of an impending social media ban.
When the child attempted to change his or her date of birth to that of an adult, the same video selfie facial age estimation procedure was followed.
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Within a minute, it said “We could not confirm your age” and then requested a government ID to confirm the user’s date of birth.
Facial age testing in age-assurance test data has shown that people over the age of 21 are generally much less likely to have a problem declaring themselves over the age of 16. Higher false positive or false negative rates have been seen in people over the age of 16, as well as in minority groups.
Meta has already assessed users who have not yet received notification as being over 18 based on information such as date of birth, length of time a person has had an account, and other account behavior activity.
A spokesperson for Meta said the experiment showed the process worked as intended, with “adult users able to verify their age and proceed, and under-16 users whose age was verified when they tried to change their age.”
“That said, we must also acknowledge the findings of the age assurance technology trial, which recognize the particular challenges of age assurance at the 16-age limit, and we anticipate that at times the process may not be perfect,” the spokesperson said.
Last month, Communications Minister Anika Wells admitted there would be teething problems as the ban came into force.
“We know this law will not be perfect, but it is very important not to let it fall through the cracks,” he said.
Metta uses Yoti to ascertain his age. The company states on its website that facial images are removed after the investigation is completed.
The ban will affect Meta’s Facebook, Instagram and Threads platforms as well as Kik, Reddit, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitch, X and YouTube.
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