Age Assurance Technology Trial 2024

On 1 May 2024, the Australian Government announced an age assurance technology trial to examine options to protect children from harmful online content such as pornography and other age-restricted services, as well as harms on social media.

The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications

The trial will include two components:

a) evaluating the maturity, effectiveness, and readiness for use of available age assurance technologies that determine whether a user is 18 years of age or over, in order to permit the user to access age-restricted online content; and

b) evaluating the maturity, effectiveness, and readiness for use of available age assurance technologies that determine the age of a user in the 13-16 years age band, in order to permit the user to create an account on a social media website or application.

It is expected that the successful Tenderer/s will conduct a technology trial in an independent manner through a standardised and replicable testing methodology against defined evaluation criteria. This includes an assessment of the stated technical capabilities for each available technology, live testing of each technology under replicable test conditions, and any other effective methodologies identified by the successful Tenderer/s.

The trial outcomes will help inform future decision of Government on implementing age assurance technologies and the existing work of the eSafety Commissioner under the Online Safety Act 2021 – including through the development of industry codes and/or standards – to reduce children’s exposure to age?inappropriate material and social media.