Global debate intensifies over social media age restrictions and AI verification

Governments and tech companies are increasingly implementing age-based restrictions on social media to protect minors. The European Union is preparing the ‘EU Kids Act’, which aims to prohibit social media use for children under 13 and set a minimum account age of 15. In contrast, Japanese authorities have expressed caution regarding blanket bans, suggesting that uniform restrictions may be undesirable given the role of social media in youth communication.

To address the inaccuracy of self-reported ages, platforms are deploying AI-driven age estimation. Meta has begun testing features in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia that use AI to identify teenagers and automatically apply ‘teen account’ protections, such as restricted messaging and sleep modes. Discord has adopted a ‘safety by default’ approach, treating all users as teenagers until they are verified as adults through activity data or facial estimation. Roblox is also implementing facial age estimation for chat functions.

However, a report from researchers at the London School of Economics and the University of Oslo suggests these measures may face resistance from the users themselves. A survey of over 29,000 European children found that 45 per cent felt age-based restrictions would not make them feel safer. Many respondents expressed concerns that bans could limit their freedom, social connections, and democratic participation, viewing such policies as a loss of agency rather than a protective benefit.