Britons may be forced by Ofcom to show photo ID for social media platforms

Britons could be forced to show photo ID to access social media platforms, Ofcom has warned. Labour's social media ban for under 16s - which was spearheaded by Sir Keir Starmer towards the end of his premiership - will come into effect in March. The regulator has warned that current verification methods, such as facial age checks, are not accurate enough in confirming whether someone is over 16 years old. The move would see adult Britons forced to show photo ID to access platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and TikTok. Ofcom acknowledged that 16 or 17-year-olds who currently do not possess a passport or driving license "would likely need to take steps to obtain one" to access certain websites. On Thursday, the regulator published an assessment on how social media firms could reliably restrict access to adult or harmful content. Ofcom identified four ways that could be “highly effective” at ensuring those who use the apps are over the age of 16 - banking checks, photo ID, digital ID and facial age estimation technology. However, the regulator admitted it was “inevitable” some children would find ways to get around the checks. Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes said: "This ban will shape the future of children’s lives online, so it’s important to get it right. “It can work if social media firms do highly effective age checks properly, and we’ve set out ways that could be achieved. "When it comes into force next year, we’ll be ready to take swift and firm action against any company that fails to comply. “We should expect that motivated children will seek to bypass the restrictions – just like alcohol laws can’t completely eradicate underage drinking – but there’ll be ways for platforms to mitigate this risk.” SOCIAL MEDIA - READ THE LATEST: The regulator called for social media firms to adopt a “challenge 25” approach, similar to measures used by retailers to ask for ID anyone who appears to be under the age of 25. It said: “Given that photo ID is either required as part of our recommended methods – or likely to be part of a second check – our assessment acknowledges that those 16 to 17-year-olds that do not yet have a photo ID would likely need to take steps to obtain one.” Ofcom has also said app stores could also share some responsibility in age verification alongside the platforms themselves. The regulator said: “Our research found that three-quarters of children who use the internet reported that apps downloaded from an app store were their primary means of going online. “However, all the app stores we analysed currently rely on children self-declaring their age, with only a small number using additional checks in limited circumstances.” The proposals put forward by Ofcom have sparked fury among campaign groups, who warned it was an attempt to usher in "a national ID system by the back door". Big Brother Watch director Silkie Carlo told The Telegraph: "Both the Government and Ofcom have admitted that children will get around the ban, which means the real effect will be normalising adults and children alike to handing over their passports just to get online. “Hundreds of thousands of people without ID, who tend to be poorer people, and many more who don’t want to risk handing their passports over to foreign tech companies will be locked out of huge parts of the internet. “The plan will kill anonymity online, whilst the UK’s culture of speech policing is reaching a crisis point. The policy is painfully misguided, an Orwellian assault on free speech and privacy, and will make children no safer at all.” Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter Follow related topics: