I’m gonna make a prediction before reading the article: either there isn’t an actual plan for how to do this, or it’s actually a plan to surveil adults

Woah hey look I was right

The government says firms must take “reasonable steps” to keep kids off their platforms, and should use multiple age assurance technologies.

These could include government IDs, face or voice recognition, or so-called “age inference”, which analyses online behaviour and interactions to estimate a person’s age.

Platforms cannot rely on users self-certifying or parents vouching for their children.

Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads, began closing teen accounts from 4 December. It said anyone mistakenly kicked off could use government ID or provide a video selfie to prove their age.

Snapchat has said users can use bank accounts, photo ID or selfies for verification.