The world of social media is facing a growing crisis: how to verify the age of its users without compromising their privacy. Governments and lawmakers are under pressure to regulate online platforms, particularly those used by children, while tech companies are struggling to find a balance between user safety and digital surveillance.
TikTok has taken a significant step in addressing this issue with the launch of its new age-detection system across Europe. The system uses a combination of profile data, content analysis, and behavioral signals to identify accounts that may belong to minors under the age of 13. Unlike some other platforms, TikTok does not automatically ban users; instead, it flags suspicious accounts for human moderators to review.
However, experts say that this approach still requires social platforms to surveil users more closely than before. Alice Marwick, director of research at Data & Society, argues that the system relies on probabilistic guesses and can lead to errors and bias, particularly affecting groups that TikTok's moderators do not have cultural familiarity with.
Moreover, the process of age verification raises broader questions about whether technology alone can resolve what is fundamentally a policy and societal challenge. Marwick worries that the current system creates friction and data collection without necessarily improving outcomes for users.
Some argue that age-verification mandates are "segregate-and-suppress laws" that unfairly target certain groups, including children and minors. Jess Miers, an assistant professor at the University of Akron School of Law, notes that the legal exposure in the US is significantly higher, making it harder to implement this approach without facing First Amendment litigation.
In contrast, organizations like the Canadian Centre for Child Protection advocate for site-wide bans on social media access for children under 16. Lloyd Richardson, director of technology at the organization, suggests that developmental experts should be consulted to determine what is developmentally appropriate online.
Ultimately, the debate around online child safety highlights the need for a balanced approach that addresses both user safety and digital privacy concerns. While age-verification systems like TikTok's may seem like a better solution than automatic bans, they still require social platforms to surveil users more closely.
TikTok has taken a significant step in addressing this issue with the launch of its new age-detection system across Europe. The system uses a combination of profile data, content analysis, and behavioral signals to identify accounts that may belong to minors under the age of 13. Unlike some other platforms, TikTok does not automatically ban users; instead, it flags suspicious accounts for human moderators to review.
However, experts say that this approach still requires social platforms to surveil users more closely than before. Alice Marwick, director of research at Data & Society, argues that the system relies on probabilistic guesses and can lead to errors and bias, particularly affecting groups that TikTok's moderators do not have cultural familiarity with.
Moreover, the process of age verification raises broader questions about whether technology alone can resolve what is fundamentally a policy and societal challenge. Marwick worries that the current system creates friction and data collection without necessarily improving outcomes for users.
Some argue that age-verification mandates are "segregate-and-suppress laws" that unfairly target certain groups, including children and minors. Jess Miers, an assistant professor at the University of Akron School of Law, notes that the legal exposure in the US is significantly higher, making it harder to implement this approach without facing First Amendment litigation.
In contrast, organizations like the Canadian Centre for Child Protection advocate for site-wide bans on social media access for children under 16. Lloyd Richardson, director of technology at the organization, suggests that developmental experts should be consulted to determine what is developmentally appropriate online.
Ultimately, the debate around online child safety highlights the need for a balanced approach that addresses both user safety and digital privacy concerns. While age-verification systems like TikTok's may seem like a better solution than automatic bans, they still require social platforms to surveil users more closely.
. I mean, think about it, if TikTok is already using behavioral signals and content analysis to detect minors... what's next? Are we gonna have to show our ID every time we log in? 
It just feels like another way for them to get more data on us.
. I mean, what if you're a minor and your profile looks super normal, but the system still flags you? That's just gonna lead to errors and biases... like, what if someone from a different culture has a similar profile? It's just not fair.
? I'm all for keeping kids safe online, but that sounds like a super heavy-handed approach. Can't we just find a way to balance user safety with digital privacy? 
... I mean, what's the point of having all these new-fangled age-detection systems if we're just gonna end up with another bunch of kids using TikTok to get their 15 minutes of fame? Remember when Myspace was the place to be back in the day? We didn't need no fancy algorithms to figure out who was a minor and who wasn't. We just used our common sense, lol... but I guess that's old school now 
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. Can't we just have a good old-fashioned chat with the parents and see if they need help monitoring their little ones' online activity? It's not rocket science, folks! 
. And don't even get me started on the whole "probabilistic guesses" thing... sounds like something my aunt used to do when trying to figure out who ate the last cookie 
. But at the same time, if you start flagging every single account for human moderators to review, it's just gonna be super time-consuming and might lead to false positives 
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. Just a thought 
. it's like, yeah, they're trying to do something about user safety and all that, but are they really solving the problem or just moving it around? i mean, probabilistic guesses can lead to errors and bias, which affects marginalized groups for sure 
. Remember dial-up internet and having to ask your parents for permission to join a chat room? 
. It's like they're playing a game of online Russian roulette, and I don't think that's cool at all 
. I wish we could just go back to the good old days when social media was more about sharing funny cat videos than trying to keep kids safe 
It's like, what if we took a step back and thought about what's developmentally appropriate online? You know, get some experts in there to help us figure it out.
can't solve the whole problem with just code 
. And let's be real, no age verification system is gonna be 100% accurate 
. If governments and lawmakers are pushing for site-wide bans on social media access for kids under 16, that raises some serious questions about online freedom 
.