Australia is entering a new era of digital safety. With the Federal Government moving ahead on social media reforms that require platforms to verify users aged 16 and older, online businesses from global networks to niche digital communities, must now implement stronger, more reliable age assurance methods.

The message is clear:

• Age self-attestation is no longer enough
• Platforms must take “reasonable, privacy-preserving steps” to protect minors
• Identity verification and the technology behind it is about to shift fundamentally
  

At FrankieOne, we’re already helping organisations prepare for the changes coming into effect from Monday.

TL;DR

• Australia’s new social media reforms take effect Monday, requiring platforms to verify users aged 16+ using evidence-based age assurance.

• Self-attested DOB won’t meet expectations - platforms must take reasonable, privacy-preserving steps to confirm age.

• FrankieOne supports this through fast DOB checks, age-based risk scoring, and high-assurance options like mDLs and FVS.

• The shift marks a major move toward safer, compliant, privacy-first onboarding for young users.

Why Age Verification Is Becoming Mandatory

For years, online services relied on a trust-based model:

“Enter your birthday to continue.”

But with youth safety concerns rising and regulatory pressure accelerating, governments globally are moving toward evidence-based age assurance.

Australia is now following suit.

The new reforms are expected to require platforms to confirm whether a user is:

• Under 16 → cannot proceed
  
• 16–18 → requires additional protections
  
• 18+ → full access
  

This shift aligns with:

• the updated National Identity Proofing Guidelines (NIPGs)
  
• eSafety’s age assurance principles
• a broader transition toward risk-based, multi-layered identity verification

And importantly, age verification does not always require full identity verification.
The intent is to confirm an age attribute, not collect unnecessary personal data.

This is exactly what modern identity orchestration is designed for.

How FrankieOne Supports Compliant, Privacy-First Age Verification

FrankieOne already supports the verification standards, digital credentials, and identity signals that regulators and safety frameworks expect platforms to adopt today and into 2026.

We provide three assurance pathways depending on risk, safety, and compliance needs.

1. Simple, Fast Age Verification Using KYC Data Sources

For low-to-medium-risk contexts, platforms can run a DOB verification check using trusted KYC data sources. This delivers:

• High accuracy
• Instant results
• No document upload
• Minimal friction
  

KYC Ruleset: DOB Must Match

Below is an expanded ruleset showing three practical DOB-match configurations.

How to interpret these rules

Rule 1 – High assurance

• Strict Name + DOB match
• Government ID required
• Strongest age verification path
• Ideal for minors, high-risk sign-ups, regulated content
• GovID remains one of the highest-quality signals for younger cohorts

Rule 2 – Balanced assurance

• Strict Name, soft DOB
• GovID + Address
• Strong and flexible
• Ideal for medium-risk sign-ups

Rule 3 – No GovID required (frictionless path)

• Strict Name + strict DOB
• Address optional
• Ideal for early screening or low-risk flows
  
  Note: younger users often struggle with pass rates on non-GovID sources
  
  

Platforms typically begin with Rule 3 to reduce friction, then escalate to Rule 1 or Rule 2 for 16-18 year-olds or in higher-risk scenarios.

With FrankieOne’s TwoPlusAge and DOB-only verification bundles, platforms can quickly validate ages while minimising abandonment, a crucial factor for onboarding conversion.

Perfect for:

• Initial age checks
• Low-risk onboarding
• Reducing drop-off while maintaining safety

2. Age Based Risk Scoring to Detect Minors and Underage Attempts

Verification alone isn’t enough. Regulators expect platforms to implement risk controls that detect minors attempting to bypass checks.

FrankieOne’s unified risk engine includes entity age, a risk factor that scores users based on their verified age.

FrankieOne’s Age Scoring Model

• Minor (<16) → score 51 (High risk)
• Minor (16–18) → score 31 (Medium risk)
• Adults (19–65) → score 1 (Low risk)

This allows platforms to:

• Automatically block under-16 users
• Trigger step-up verification
• Apply additional controls for borderline ages
• Maintain audit-ready logs
• Combine age risk with device, behavioural, or fraud signals

This moves platforms from simple pass/fail checks to dynamic, risk-based onboarding,  consistent with NIPGs and AUSTRAC’s upcoming 2026 AML/CTF reforms.

3. High-Assurance Verification: mDLs, FVS, and Digital Proof-of-Age Documents

By 2026, platforms serving minors, high-risk users, or sensitive content will increasingly rely on government-backed digital credentials, including:

Mobile Driver’s Licence (mDL)

• Cryptographically secure
• Age - only verification available
• No need for physical documents or image capture
• Built on ISO 18013-7, ensuring the highest trust levels

Facial Verification Service (FVS)

• Matches a live selfie against government-held photos
• Confirms both identity and age
• Ideal for high-assurance or high-risk flows

Digital Proof-of-Age Documents

• Purpose-built for age verification
• Confirms eligibility (e.g., 16+, 18+) without revealing identity
• Expected to become widely adopted in 2026
• A game-changer for privacy-preserving age checks

All three methods will be integrated seamlessly into FrankieOne’s orchestration layer, enabling platforms to scale from lightweight to bank-grade age assurance through a single API.

A “16+ Verification Flow” Powered by FrankieOne

A typical onboarding flow may look like:

1. User enters DOB
2. DOB verified via KYC sources
3. entity_age risk factor calculated
4. Age <16 → Block + log event
5. Age 16–18 → Optional mDL, biometrics, or document check
6. Age 18+ → Proceed, unless other risk signals trigger step-up
7. Continuous device/behavioural monitoring for suspicious activity

Example:
Oliver J Youngten, DOB 15 June 2015 → fails AUS-Basic-TwoPlusAge due to high risk (Minor <16).

This hybrid model delivers:

• Safety
• Compliance
• Conversion optimisation
• Privacy-by-design

Protecting minors without compromising user experience.

Why FrankieOne’s Approach Stands Out

As age verification becomes mandatory, the platforms that succeed will adopt identity systems that are:

• Privacy-first — verify the minimum
• Adaptive — risk-based, dynamic
• Multi-source — data + documents + biometrics + digital IDs
• Resilient — multi-provider redundancy
• Regulator-aligned — NIPGs, eSafety, AUSTRAC
  
  

FrankieOne supports all of these verification methods within a single, unified orchestration layer.

We enable platforms to:

• Protect minors
• Reduce fraud
• Meet regulatory expectations
• Keep onboarding fast and frictionless

The Bottom Line

Age verification is no longer a checkbox - it’s becoming a foundational requirement for digital safety.

With Australia’s social media reforms taking effect from Monday, combined with mDLs, the Facial Verification Service and risk-based identity proofing, the country is reshaping how platforms must verify and safeguard young users online.

If you’d like help preparing for Monday’s reforms or implementing compliant age assurance, FrankieOne is here to support you.