Ofcom's age checks: what proving your age may mean for your documents

What happened

Ofcom has set out its recommendations for the most effective ways to work out which social media users in the UK are over 16, according to the BBC. The UK's social media ban for under-16s is due to come into force in March next year. Under it, those under 16 will be prevented from using ten of the biggest platforms, including Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Alongside traditional forms of ID, Ofcom recommends four methods it says would be "highly effective". These are photo ID matching, where details on a document such as a passport are checked against a live image; banking-based checks, which use the age a financial institution already holds on record; face age estimation technology; and digital ID services that let people prove who they are or share details such as their age.

The BBC reports that it is ultimately up to the tech companies to decide how to implement the checks. Ofcom's chief executive, Dame Melanie Dawes, told the BBC that the measures "must preserve privacy" and "must protect people's data". The proposals are still subject to government approval.

What it means for you

The BBC says many UK adults are also likely to have to confirm they are not under age using one of these measures. Ofcom did not have a firm number for how many adults would need to do so. In practice, that could mean more moments when you are asked to show a passport, link a bank, or take a selfie.

Age checks below 18 are hard, the BBC explains, because 16 and 17 year olds don't have credit cards or full driving licences, and may not have passports either. To address that, Ofcom has pointed to several methods rather than one.

There is also a question of where the check happens. Meta has called for age verification at device level, so that someone under age would be blocked from installing social media apps via app stores. Meta says this could reduce the burden of having to verify your age repeatedly across multiple platforms. Ofcom says that would not absolve the social networks from doing their own checks. The BBC notes that Apple has already introduced age verification in the UK.

For anyone handling paperwork, the practical lesson is simple: the more often an ID document is requested, the more it matters where a copy ends up. Before you upload a passport photo or a scan of anything personal, it is worth asking who receives it and whether you can avoid sending it at all.

Where Sheaf fits

Sheaf's own claim is a simple one: with Sheaf, your scans and signatures never leave your phone. That is worth keeping in mind when so many checks involve handing over documents.

None of this replaces the checks that a social network may ask of you. It is just a reminder that where a copy of your paperwork ends up is worth thinking about.

What to watch next

Ofcom's age verification report will now be considered by the government, and we will know more once the platforms say which methods they will actually offer.