Kids expected to be on social media after ban kicks in

Children are expected to find workarounds to protect their accounts after under-16s social media launches, but Labor has warned tech companies as the deadline approaches.

The world’s leading age restrictions will come into force next Wednesday and children will be kicked off popular platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and TikTok.

With a week to go before the ban’s start date, Communications Minister Anika Wells will speak at the National Press Club in Canberra and admit smart kids will find a way around the rules.

“Yes, there will continue to be kids with accounts on December 10th and probably for a while after that,” he will say.

“But our expectation is clear: Any company that allows this is breaking the law.

“We know from day one that it won’t be perfect, but we won’t give up and let the platforms off the hook.”

The communications minister will point out that almost 86 per cent of Australian children aged eight to 15 are on social media.

“We acknowledge that it will take time for the age assurance filter to filter out existing accounts and stop new accounts from being created,” it will say.

Meta will begin removing children from its platforms, including Instagram and Facebook, starting Thursday.

Mistakenly identified users will be able to verify their age or present a government-issued ID using third-party platform Yoti.

A number of other platforms use similar methods, but TikTok has not yet announced what its appeals process will be.

The day after the ban is implemented, the e-Security commissioner will send notifications to the 10 platforms mentioned in the “dynamic list”.

These notifications will require evidence such as how many underage accounts the platforms had before and after the law came into force.

Tech companies face fines of up to $49.5 million under the new laws if they don’t take “reasonable steps” to block young users by the deadline.

“These platforms will have time to respond before the next requests for information are sent out, asking for figures updated every month for six months,” the minister will say.

Platforms must implement age assurance technology, but no specific type or method is mandated by the eSafety Commission.

The government has flagged that the list of platforms may grow to catch more under the ban.