00:00The race is on for Australia to find the right tech to make its world first teen social media
00:08ban work in less than six months time. More than a thousand school students from around
00:13the country have been testing out facial scanning, with some interesting results.
00:17One minute I'm getting 15, the next I'm getting 19.
00:20Oh, it gave me 29, that same one.
00:22Really?
00:23I've been told my whole life I look like about four years younger than what I actually am.
00:27I'm getting, yeah, 23, upwards of 23.
00:30So far, the face scanning technology can only guess these kids' ages within an 18-month
00:34range in 85% of cases.
00:37It's only in December, then it's got a long way to go, I think.
00:41And hopefully it works.
00:42Andrew Hammond ran the trial for the federal government.
00:44It's definitely a problem. So far it's not perfect and it's not getting every child.
00:50But does that mean that it's no good at all?
00:52Experts are less optimistic.
00:53I don't think the ban is viable.
00:55Experts are definitely headed for a rude shock in terms of what this legislation will actually
01:00deliver to them.
01:02Age verification companies are confident the ban can still succeed, despite the accuracy
01:06challenges, saying facial scanning tech should be used alongside other methods, as a filter
01:12to catch people who need further verification.
01:14When you purchase alcohol, you look younger than 25, you'll be asked for ID every time you
01:19purchase.
01:20But with the finish line approaching, the pressure to get the ban right is immense.
01:25I'm confident that by the time we get closer to December and beyond, those with bigger brains
01:31than me will have figured out more accurate ways to verify students' age.
01:35The spokesperson for Communications Minister Annika Wells told the ABC the government would
01:40be guided by advice from the eSafety Commissioner on how best to implement the ban.
01:45It's expected to announce its plan in the coming months.
01:48Captioning provided by Red Bee Media
01:49Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation
01:50You
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