Social media companies may be required to use facial recognition technology to determine the age of children.
Millions of children could have their online profiles blocked by tech giants in preparation for a crackdown by internet regulators. Ofcom next spring.
Social media operators have been warned they could face heavy fines and even jail time if they fail to follow guidelines to ensure users are not underage.
John Higham, Ofcom’s head of internet safety policy, said platforms were expected to remove children’s accounts from their sites using ‘accurate and effective measures’. AI age check.
Officials estimate that up to 60 percent of eight- to 11-year-olds have a TV profile, despite sites such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat have a minimum age limit of 13 years.
Mr Higham said more than one in five children under the age of five on social media said they were too old to set up a profile.
He told the Telegraph: ‘It doesn’t take a genius to know that children lie about their age. So we think there is a big issue there.’
Earlier this month Ofcom published new rules that will do just that forcing social media companies to take action against illegal and harmful content to comply with the Online Safety Act.
Social media companies could be ordered to use facial recognition technology (Stock Image)
Social media managers have been warned they could face heavy fines and jail time if they fail to follow guidelines to ensure users are not underage.
Under the rules, which will come into force in the Spring, Ofcom will be given powers to fine tech companies fail to protect children from online dangers up to 10 percent of their worldwide earnings and to prison authorities for violations.
Technology companies confirm that they have introduced more stringent checks in recent years including IDs, comparing the age of faces and asking a parent to verify age.
However, the Ofcom survey said it found that most children said they had never been asked to verify their age, with only 18 percent of Instagram users, 19 percent of TikTok users and 14 percent of Snapchat users saying they had been asked. confirm their date of birth.
