Freedom House: age checks reshape internet as freedom declines 16th year

Freedom House reports that global internet freedom fell for a 16th consecutive year, citing the rapid spread of social media age checks using facial age estimation and biometric verification since Australia's under-16 ban began in December 2025. A separate UK report from Defend Digital Me warns that children's IDs and face scans are passed among several firms they never deal with. The reports show biometric identity checks becoming a routine condition of online participation, while the article disputes some claims and notes teens are evading the checks.