‘No country in the world has solved this problem’: can Australia make age verification work for social media?

Governments across Australia want to ban under-16s from accessing social media platforms to protect young people from negative impacts of excessive time online. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

Doubt has been cast over the efficacy of plans to keep people under 16 off inappropriate websites, with advice provided to the Australian government showing that “no countries have implemented an age verification mandate without issue”.

Governments across Australia have embraced a push to raise age minimums on social media platforms to 16 to protect young people from the negative impacts of excessive time online.