Kazakhstan weighs age checks as it moves to restrict social media for under-16s

Kazakhstan intends to restrict access to social media for children under 16. The government has already submitted relevant amendments to the Kurultai, Kazakhstan’s parliament. If adopted, the restrictions could apply to both new and existing accounts, according to Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov’s response to a parliamentary inquiry.

The amendments would restrict the registration of users under 16 on online platforms. If the law is adopted, the government will develop separate rules requiring social media platforms to verify users’ ages.

At the same time, the temporary suspension of existing accounts belonging to children is under consideration.

«After the legislative amendments are adopted, special rules for verifying the age of online-platform users will be developed. The rules will take into account existing mechanisms used by online platforms, AI-powered identification, the content users view and their activity. The issue of temporarily suspending existing accounts belonging to users under 16 will also be considered,» the government said.

A transition period will be introduced to implement the restrictions. Specific mechanisms are expected to be discussed with representatives of online platforms operating in Kazakhstan.

To verify users’ ages, the government is considering AI-powered technologies that can estimate age from facial images using systems similar to Face ID.

Another option is to analyze users’ behavior, including the content they watch, who they follow, which communities they belong to and how they use their accounts.

«AI-powered tools can estimate users’ ages from facial images using recognition technologies similar to Face ID, as well as based on the content they view, their subscriptions, the communities they belong to, account activity and other behavioral indicators,» the response said.

According to the prime minister’s response, the technology will work on the same principle as passkeys, which can use biometric authentication such as facial recognition or fingerprint scanning.

At the same time, the final mechanism for verifying users’ ages in Kazakhstan has yet to be determined. It will be developed after the amendments are adopted. The government says age verification should be carried out without sharing users’ personal data.