Sedicii is proud to share that our privacy-preserving technology was approved for use in the world’s largest trial of age assurance in Australia — testing whether tools like facial age estimation and ID verification can effectively stop under-16s from accessing social media and harmful online content.
The findings are a significant step forward for safeguarding children online while protecting personal privacy.
From 10 December 2025, Australia will require social media platforms to block under-16s from opening accounts. This trial shows a practical way forward — and provides insights for policymakers, regulators and technology providers worldwide.
At Sedicii, we believe protecting children online should never come at the expense of privacy. That’s why our zero knowledge proof technology enables definitive, privacy-first age verification without storing or sharing personal data like DOB. This embeds privacy-preserving cryptographic logic at the protocol level. Our solution supports federated identity reuse and has proposed models for integration with national ID and banking data without data leakage.
Among the key strengths, the trial highlighted that “Sedicii’s model directly addresses a core risk identified: that repeated logging of consent events can unintentionally build up sensitive behavioural profiles of children over time. By design, Sedicii avoids this accumulation altogether.”
The trial concludes that “Age verification represents the most direct and high-assurance form of age assurance and is already in widespread use across many regulated industries.”
Read all about it here: https://ageassurance.com.au/v/sed
This trial marks a major milestone — and we’re excited to be part of shaping the future of safe and private digital experiences.
What’s Next for Australia and Online Platforms:
New Regulations Coming: From December 2025, new industry-designed codes will take effect, starting with search engines, hosting providers, and internet service providers. The second tranche, in March, will cover websites, social media, storage services, AI chatbots, app stores and equipment providers like phone makers or console developers. Companies must choose a service that meets the government’s requirements; it makes good business sense to choose a service that’s been vetted as part of the trial.
eSafety Commissioner’s Role: In the coming weeks, the eSafety Commissioner will outline the specific requirements for social media platforms and other online services to get ready for the ban.
Impact on Users: Australians will likely need to verify their age to access certain online services—including search engines. This could involve different methods, such as ID checks or facial age estimation.
Learn more about our solution by Contacting Us.