Sydney, Australia, 17 September 2025 – With kids in Australia spending an average of over two hours each day on gaming platforms, and nearly one in three young gamers reporting bullying or abuse, regulatory pressure is mounting on online platforms to provide age-appropriate environments for kids.
As well as the upcoming under-16s social media ban, the eSafety Commissioner continues to work with online industries “to standardise and uplift their safety practices to enhance online safety, especially for children” which means “it will be required to implement appropriate age assurance technologies to prevent children from accessing harmful material”.
In light of this, digital identity solution ConnectID® and global compliance platform k-ID have announced a new partnership to deliver privacy preserving age assurance tools for platforms and developers to verify a user’s age, dynamically adapt their services, and enable greater parental controls. These measures help platforms meet relevant legal requirements around child safety and age-appropriate content.
Through the new tools, trusted adults can verify a child’s age when under 16, which will then automatically adjust online features. For example, limits on open chat for younger users or boundaries so that users of different age groups can’t communicate directly. These measures can help platforms meet relevant legal requirements around child safety and age-appropriate content.
“Most parents want peace of mind that their kids are safe online,” said Andrew Black, Managing Director of ConnectID. “By facilitating age-appropriate experiences, we are helping protect young users while still giving them the opportunity to explore, play and connect in spaces designed with them in mind.”
“Partnering with ConnectID means we can help Australian platforms offer safer environments for younger players through real-time age verification,” said Kieran Donovan, CEO and Co-Founder of k-ID. Our mission is to empower kids, not limit them. We want digital spaces to evolve with young people in ways that are responsible, privacy-focused and easy for platforms to get it right.”
k-ID is purpose-built to support compliance for online services, and is already trusted by leading developers and platforms, including Discord, Quora, and Another Axiom. k-ID already operates in over 150 countries, partnering with local digital identity providers to ensure secure, privacy-preserving age verification.
ConnectID, the digital identity solution developed by Australian Payments Plus, will enable age verification for individuals using trusted Australian institutions such as the four major banks that will then pass on this age signal to the k-ID platform. ConnectID does not see or store any personal information, it simply facilitates the secure exchange of verified information with user consent. With this trusted age signal, k-ID can activate the appropriate safety features and parental controls within the platforms.
Together, ConnectID and k-ID can provide platforms with a scalable, privacy-preserving, low friction option for compliance with local regulations, while parents and children benefit from safer, more tailored experiences.
Age assurance in Australia is increasingly in the spotlight in view of the upcoming under-16s social media ban. The Australian Government recently released its Age Assurance Technology Trial Report, which assessed both k-ID and ConnectID at the highest technology readiness level (TRL 9). This confirms the solutions are ready for broad deployment in Australia, meaning they could support social media platforms in implementing the ban that comes into force in December 2025.
About ConnectID
ConnectID® is an Australian-owned digital identity solution which makes it easier for customers to verify who they are, using organisations they already trust. ConnectID does not see or store any data, it simply acts as the bridge that connects businesses to trusted and reliable identity data with customer consent, giving individuals more control over how their information is used and shared.
ConnectID was the first non-government identity exchange accredited by the Australian Government and is supported by major Australian banks. ConnectID is an initiative of Australian Payments Plus (AP+) which brings together eftpos, BPAY and NPP Australia as one organisation. To find out more, visit connectid.com.au.
ConnectID began rolling out across participating organisations in October 2023.
About k-ID
k-ID makes it possible for any audience, any age, anywhere in the world to have an age appropriate and locally compliant online experience. k-ID provides a suite of tools for developers, publishers and platforms that solves the complex issue of privacy and online safety for young audiences on a global scale.
