NZ Can Protect Teens - And Lead The World - If It Avoids Australia’s Mistakes, Expert Warns

New Zealand, 8 December 2025 - New Zealand has a narrow window to avoid the problems already emerging across the Tasman with its social media ban, with experts warning that adopting accessible digital IDs from the outset could prevent vulnerable teens from being locked out of social media or targeted by a surge in phishing scams.

MyMahi, a digital ID platform used by tens of thousands of students in New Zealand and Australia, achieved a 100% pass rate in the Australian Government’s Age Assurance Trials. The company is working alongside the Ministry of Education and the Department of Internal Affairs as the New Zealand Government considers its own approach.

MyMahi CEO Jeff King says Australia’s rollout is poised to disproportionately exclude Indigenous, disabled and low-income teens, and says New Zealand can avoid making the same mistakes.

“Meta says Australian teens can verify their age with video-selfie technology - which the Age Assurance Trials showed was inaccurate - or by providing a government-issued photo ID like a passport or licence. On paper, it sounds reasonable, but what happens if your family can’t afford a passport, or you’re not able to drive?” he says.

“Our poll of Kiwi students found 30 per cent don’t have a government ID. If the same approach applies here, thousands of teens would be instantly and unfairly locked out of social media, the exact dilemma Australian families will soon face”.

King says adopting a digital ID would prevent a two-tier system in which some teenagers can verify their age and others can’t.

“We know social media can be a lifeline for disabled, indigenous, and low-income teens – connecting them with peers, support, and opportunities. They shouldn’t be excluded because the government hasn’t provided an alternative way to prove who they are.”

Digital assurance expert and former Executive Director of Digital Identity New Zealand, Colin Wallis, says a successful, safe rollout depends on offering multiple verification pathways that protect privacy and support young people’s wellbeing.

“It's assumed that because teens are ‘digital natives’, they’ll be fine with face-based age estimation. It's a misplaced assumption given cultural sensitivities, the concerning rise of deepfake AI apps and the perception around face biometrics storage", he says. “Regardless of assurances, the fear of private photos being captured or shared is very real, and for many teens it creates significant anxiety,” he says.

MyMahi’s digital ID works through schools, verifying a student’s age and creating the digital ID using data in the school's management system. If used to verify age with a social media platform, it would simply indicate whether a student is over or under 16 without sharing any personal data. Young people strongly resonate with this model.

“We recently surveyed 500 users and found nearly half would prefer verifying their age this way instead of handing over photo ID. Sixty-five per cent also said digital ID would make verifying their age easier if a safe option were available. These insights matter as New Zealand watches and learns from Australia’s missteps,” says King.

MyMahi is ST4S-accredited, meeting Safer Technologies for Schools privacy and security standards, and works closely with New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs on secure student identification.

About MyMahi

Founded in New Zealand and now supporting students across Australasia, MyMahi provides digital tools that empower young people to manage their wellbeing, goals, and future pathways. The platform is trusted by over 100,000 users and is accredited for use in educational settings.

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