When transformation becomes a moral imperative: How we can (and should) do much better in keeping our digitally engaged children much safer online

The Commonwealth government should be lauded for the steps they are taking in undertaking trials of age assurance techniques to provide a baseline standard for social media and similar platforms to ensure that children only access age-appropriate content. These trials, which test biometric age estimation, are a step forward, but they represent only the beginning of what can and should be done. It’s not hard to agree that, collectively, we need to do much better.

In this talk, we will step through how biometric age estimation works in practice, examining its technical capabilities, challenges, and the ethical considerations around using this technology. We’ll explore questions such as: How accurate is age estimation technology across different ethnicities, genders, and age groups? What are the privacy implications, and how can we balance safety with preserving children’s rights to privacy?

We'll also take a deep dive into global experiences with this technology. Various jurisdictions, such as the European Union and the United Kingdom, have taken unique approaches to tackling the issue of age assurance. What can we learn from their successes and failures? How do regulatory frameworks shape the deployment and adoption of these technologies? And how do these compare to the Australian context?

Finally, we will address how well biometric technologies align with other age assurance methods and what needs to be done to enhance these systems' robustness and fairness. It's essential that we not only implement effective solutions but that we also ensure those solutions are ethical, inclusive, and scalable.