Over the past year, Australia has been testing a range of age-assurance technologies, including facial analysis for age estimation, document verification, and parental consent tools.
The aim wasn’t to make policy, it was to answer a simpler question: is this technology good enough to be used in the real world? The answer, it turns out, is yes.
The trial involved 53 organisations and assessed each system against rigorous international standards. What they found was encouraging.
Age-assurance technology has reached a level of maturity that allows it to be rolled out without compromising people’s privacy or creating unnecessary friction. In many cases, these tools can be embedded seamlessly into existing digital services.
It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. Different contexts require different approaches and no single technology works in every use case. But the variety on offer means that providers have options – and those options work.
The systems tested performed consistently across age groups and ethnic backgrounds, including First Nations communities, without significant bias. In fact, the trial found no major technological barriers to implementing age assurance across Australia.
Of course, no system is perfect. Age estimation can sometimes be off by as much as 18 months, and some of the more sophisticated tools may still be vulnerable to teens trying to find their way around them.
Parental control systems also came under scrutiny, particularly for their inability to adapt to children’s evolving capacity as they move through adolescence.
And there were concerns about data privacy, especially in cases where providers were collecting more personal information than necessary, anticipating future regulatory requests.
Still, these challenges are not reasons to stall. If anything, they highlight the importance of smart regulation, guidance that ensures these tools are used responsibly, proportionately and with the right protections in place.
Here in Aotearoa, we are still having the same conversations Australia was having two years ago. Should we verify age online? Can we do it in a way that respects privacy? Will it make a difference? Australia has just answered all three questions. Yes, we can. Yes, it works. And yes, it matters.
But this isn’t just about technology or regulation. It’s about leadership and social norming. Just like drink-driving, smoking indoors or not wearing a seatbelt, we have the power to shift what’s seen as normal when it comes to protecting children online.
There was a time when it wasn’t unusual for teenagers to access adult content or lie about their age to join social media. That needs to change.
By embedding age assurance into our digital expectations, we can make it normal, expected even, for platforms and content providers to ask: is this user the right age? That simple check creates a powerful ripple effect, helping to reset the boundaries for what’s appropriate, safe and healthy for young people in the online world.
Every generation shapes its own norms. Ours must include the idea that online spaces, just like offline ones, have rules and safeguards.
That access to harmful content isn’t a rite of passage. That childhood and adolescence should be protected, not exploited.
Our children deserve to grow up in a digital environment designed for their wellbeing, not for corporate profit. Every day we delay, we expose them to content and experiences they’re simply not ready for. Age assurance isn’t a silver bullet, but it is a powerful piece of the puzzle – and we now know it’s within reach.
New Zealand has a proud history of doing what’s right for our tamariki.
From smokefree laws to road safety campaigns, we’ve shown we’re willing to act when the evidence is clear. Well, the evidence is clear. Australia has led the way. Now it’s our turn.
