Apple is set to introduce new technology that could help enforce Australia’s social media ban on children under 16 using iPhone apps. The declared age range API on iOS will allow developers to request information on the age range of child users with parental consent. This will enable apps to determine whether a user is under 18, under 16, or under 13, and control the content accessible to them.
Parents will have control over the declared age of their child on Apple devices, without sharing the child’s actual birth date with apps. Apple will also update app age ratings to include categories such as 4+, 13+, 16+, and 18+, with the latter reserved for apps containing sensitive content.
The social media ban, passed in December, requires platforms like TikTok and Facebook to take steps to verify the ages of users. Platforms will need to decide whether to adopt Apple’s age verification technology, among other options, to comply with the ban.
Google is also developing a similar tool to estimate user ages through machine learning. Parental certification and controls will be a part of the technology trial. The ban is scheduled to go into effect in December, after the communications minister determines the platforms to be included and the technology to be used for age verification. Social media companies will need to decide how to ensure that users under 16 are kept off their platforms, in accordance with the government regulations.
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