What Do We Lose When Kids Are Excluded?

[Jahangir655]

Greta Thunberg: At just 15, Thunberg began her global climate strikes, leveraging platforms like Twitter and Instagram to mobilise millions worldwide. Her efforts have made her one of the most recognisable activists of our time, sparking debates, protests, and policy changes.
Young people are not just passive consumers of social media; they are active contributors. By restricting access, the Bill risks silencing the next generation of leaders, innovators, and changemakers.

The Honeypot Problem of Age Verification
One of the Bill’s most significant challenges lies in its reliance on age verification systems. While the requirement to verify age is intended to protect children, it inadvertently creates a significant privacy risk for all users, including adults.

To comply, platforms must verify the ages of every user, not just those under 16. This means collecting proof of age data – such as government-issued IDs or other sensitive personal information – from millions of Australians. The consequences of such a system are far-reaching:

Massive Data Collection
Platforms would amass vast repositories of Personally Identifiable list of usa cell phone numbers Information (PII), including names, birthdates, and even images or scans of IDs. This creates a centralised honeypot of valuable data ripe for hackers to target.
Increased Privacy Risks
While the Bill mandates the destruction of data once it is no longer needed, even temporary storage increases the risk of breaches. Cybercriminals are highly incentivised to target such repositories for identity theft, financial fraud, and social engineering attacks.
A Universal Burden
Adults who are not the focus of the Bill’s protective measures must also undergo verification, adding friction to the user experience and raising questions about proportionality. Vulnerable populations, such as those without government-issued ID, may find themselves excluded from online platforms entirely.