Government to consult on digital IDs for 13-year-olds
The government will consult on whether children aged 13 to 16 should be included in digital ID distribution.
There was reaction to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s UK-wide statement digital identity scheme It will be promoted through a petition that will collect nearly three million signatures before 2029.
The government’s official response to the petition confirmed that the consultation would also consider whether children aged 13 and over should be included.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended the consultation plans, saying “many 13-year-olds already have some form of digital identity”.
The UK Parliament petition opposes the creation of any national ID system and demands that the government abandon its plans, which the petitioners claim “would be a step towards mass surveillance and digital control”.
The number of signatures means the issue will be debated by MPs in the coming weeks, and it has also received an official government response confirming plans to introduce digital ID “to help combat illegal immigration, facilitate access to government services and deliver wider efficiencies”.
The statement said: “This is not a card, but a new digital ID that will be available free of charge to all UK citizens and legal residents aged 16 and over (although we will consider through consultation whether this is for those aged 13 and over).
“Over time, people will be able to use it to seamlessly access a range of public and private sector services to make our daily lives easier and safer.
“Getting a digital ID will not be mandatory, but it will be mandatory for some applications.”
Defending plans to include young people aged 13 to 16, Cooper told LBC: “Everyone has various digital identities… We all have different ways of proving who we are.
“Most 13-year-olds are already doing this [have a form of digital ID]and it is exactly how this should be taken forward that the ministry will advise on.
“I think this is the right way to go now to have a standardized process, and it’s something we’re already planning for people coming to work from abroad.”
But civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch branded the plan “Orwellian” and called on MPs to reject the plans.
Director Silkie Carlo said: “The prospect of enrolling even children in this expanding biometric ID system is malicious and unfair, and raises the chilling question of what the Starmer government intends digital ID will be used for in the future.
“At a time when parents are critical about whether children should have smartphones, it is shocking that the government is considering enrolling children in this digital ID app.
“We now know that digital IDs can be used for everything from taxes and benefits to banking and education, with all the hallmarks of a sprawling national database that Britain has long rejected.”
During a trip to india this weekSir Keir praised the country’s Aadhaar digital identity system, which is much more comprehensive than plans initially announced for the UK and includes the storage of biometric data, as a “huge success”.
He signaled Britain could use the technology for services such as banking, citing New Delhi’s scheme as an example and saying ministers needed to “make the case” for the “huge benefits” the program could deliver.
No 10 said Britain’s system would not necessarily copy India’s use of biometric data and signaled that the UK plan would be driven by the public sector.
Other countries that already have digital ID systems include Estonia, Denmark and Spain, as well as Canada, Australia and Japan.
The European Union is introducing a Digital Identity (eID) Wallet, which all member states must offer to citizens by the end of 2026.
Digital identity programs are also being piloted in non-EU countries Norway, Iceland and Ukraine.
