Claims extracted
17
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
18%
3 of 17 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
The Guardian's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
More than 100,000 British teenagers risk being locked out of social media in the UK if they do not have a passport or driving licence when an under-16 ban is introduced next year.
asserted
ban → risk → passport
Ofcom, the UK’s online watchdog, said about 150,000 16 to 17-year-olds do not own a passport or driving licence, which are likely to be needed to access age-restricted platforms.
asserted
which → say → platforms
The Australia-style ban on under-16s accessing social media services including Instagram, TikTok and YouTube is due to come into force next spring.
asserted
under-16s → access → force
The head of Ofcom, Dame Melanie Dawes, warned that “motivated children” will seek to bypass the restrictions, as has been the case in Australia.
asserted
children → warn → Australia
On Thursday, Ofcom published an assessment of age verification measures that could underpin the ban, outlining four “highly effective” methods: checking a person’s official ID against a live selfie, a bank verifying an account holder’s age, an official digital ID service like the Young Scot card, or estimating someone’s age via a selfie.
uncertain
bank → publish → selfie
However, the watchdog said a form of official ID will probably be needed as a “backstop” for other methods, such as facial age estimation – which could be inaccurate by several years.
uncertain
which → say → years
Ofcom said a cohort of 16 to 17-year-olds could miss out as a result.
uncertain
cohort → say → result
“This means that people without a form of photo ID will likely need to take steps to obtain one to access age-restricted services,” said the regulator.
asserted
regulator → mean → services
An estimated 150,000 16 to 17 year-olds do not have a passport or driving licence, Ofcom said, leaving a substantial number of teens at risk of being cut off by the ban.
asserted
Ofcom → estimate → ban
More than nine out of 10 Britons over 16 have passports or driving licences.
asserted
Britons → have → passports
Facial age estimation has been a popular measure for enforcing over-18 access to pornographic websites in the UK, which have been subject to stringent age checks since last year, indicating that this method will be used by social media plaforms as well.
The UK government has not confirmed which platforms will be affected by the ban but it is expected to cover the same sites as in Australia.
asserted
it → enforce → Australia
In March, Australia’s eSafety commissioner said a “substantial proportion” of Australian children under the age of 16 had flouted the ban since it was imposed in December last year.
asserted
it → say → December
A survey of 900 Australian parents found around a third said their children still had one or more social media accounts after the ban, compared to 49% before the laws.
asserted
children → find → laws
Ofcom’s chief executive acknowledged the risk of evasion and said the ban will be a “huge cultural shift for the UK”.
asserted
ban → acknowledge → UK
“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,” said Dawes.
asserted
Dawes → expect → risk
“This will be a huge cultural shift for our society, so it’ll take time to adjust, and everyone will have a part to play.”
asserted
everyone → take → part
The government is expected to introduce regulations confirming the ban by the end of the year, with Ofcom also opening a consultation on the best age verification methods before issuing official guidance on which measures to adopt.
asserted
Ofcom → expect → measures
The Aporia
