The hidden cost of social media age bans is everyone’s privacy

Australia's Social Media Minimum Age Act of 2024, which restricts under-16s from social media, is prompting similar discussions globally including in South Africa. A conference paper argues the law raises serious proportionality concerns: effective age verification requires identity checks (government IDs, facial scans, biometrics) that erode online anonymity for all users, not just minors. Even privacy-preserving cryptographic systems leave unresolved institutional questions about credential issuance and potential scope creep. Evidence that age-gating reduces harm is uncertain, as young users routinely circumvent restrictions. The piece advocates for less intrusive alternatives like parental controls, digital literacy education, and targeted interventions, warning that rigorous enforcement could shift the internet from an open to a permissioned, identity-linked system resembling the heavily monitored internets of authoritarian states.