A nationwide ban on social media accounts for kids under 16 is set to go into effect. This historic decision will impact all 1.5 million accounts on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Threads, and X (formerly Twitter). The law prohibits most younger users from accessing social media platforms. It carves out important exceptions for health and education services. As the agenda continued to develop, one of the platforms’ representatives, Ella Woods-Joyce from TikTok, responded directly to criticisms of TikTok being a “bullying behemoth.”
At a recent social media platform interrogation party, Woods-Joyce is determined not to let TikTok be painted this way. No way,” she answered when asked about the platform’s impact and behavior. This announcement comes as the UK government continues to advocate for age assurance technology on social media networks. They are particularly hoping to see a more effective process for verifying users’ ages.
TikTok recently announced an array of features—enforced by AI—that are specifically aimed at users under the age of 18. The platform’s default teen accounts feature automatically enables built-in safety and privacy settings. These features include content filters, contact limitations, and screen time management tools. TikTok recently committed to archiving original content such as posts, photos, and videos when accounts are frozen. This decision is indicative of their efforts to comply with the new regulations.
This ban raises questions about the effectiveness of age assurance technology, which is expected to involve various methods such as AI-driven age estimation, facial age analysis, and verification through identity documents. Indeed, the administration has acknowledged that there is no one-size-fits-all approach for every business when it comes to this technology.
To enforce its age assurance protocols, Meta has decided to partner with a third-party provider, Yoti. This new system gives everyone three ways to prove they are of legal age. Under the proposal, they would submit a video selfie, use an age estimation tool, or submit government-issued identification.
At the same time, Snapchat is facing the new reality and developing its own play to help appease regulators with a new Download My Data tool. Hopefully, this new feature will help those most impacted by these accounts to protect their images and messages before accounts are locked down. Jennifer Stout from SnapChat opened her testimony with concerns around the development of age assurance technology. She focused on the “privacy harms” that could result from its use. As for Snapchat, that app should be removed from the ban, she explained, because it operates more as a messaging platform.
“Experts believe the ban will push younger people into darker corners of the internet where rules, safety tools and protections don’t exist.” – Ella Woods-Joyce
Stout reasserted Snapchat’s commitment to complying with the new restrictions. As Polonsky noted, Google and Apple have not gone ahead with similar systems just yet. “We’re going to do the best we can to comply,” she stated.
As these social media companies are getting ready to comply, they’re looking at big penalties if they don’t adhere. Violating the new nationwide ban would open violators to fines as high as $49.5 million.
