Age Assurance Technology Trial

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

St Mark’s Anglican Community School has been approached to be part of an ‘Age Assurance Technology Trial’ conducted on behalf of the Australian Government.

You may be aware that new laws have been implemented imposing age restrictions in relation to the use of certain social media platforms. This, along with the need to protect children from harmful content and age-restricted services, has prompted the government to commission the trial to test the efficacy of age verification systems. Children from Year 7 – Year 12 are required to test the accuracy of these systems. During the Trial, the participants will test several online platforms within the school environment.

The Age Assurance Technology Trial (AATT) has been initiated to evaluate various age assurance technologies aimed at protecting children from age-restricted online content. The Trial will assess methods such as age verification, age estimation, and parental consent/control mechanisms, and identify document verification to determine their effectiveness, reliability, and privacy implications. St Mark’s students will be involved in the trial of Age Estimation Systems, therefore, there is no requirement for them to bring age verification documents into the school environment.

St Mark’s is willing to publicise, within our community, this opportunity to be part of the Trial because the outcomes will have a direct impact on policy development in relation to the use of social media and technology in and around schools. Students who participate in the Trial will gain a practical understanding of digital safety and the importance of age verification online. Insights from the Trial will assist in shaping policies and technologies that enhance online safety for children.

You may have questions about the Trial, and if your child wishes to be involved, what that involves. The Age Check Certification Scheme has created a website to provide answers to questions you might have, and it can be accessed HERE. There are explanatory videos available under the Test Participants > Information for Schools tab that are very helpful.

The School intends to offer the opportunity to families to be involved through Consent2Go in the next week or so. If your child wishes to participate in the Trial and you agree, you can provide active consent through Consent2Go. If you do not respond to the Consent2Go invitation or actively do not give consent, your child will not be included as a participant in the Trial.

Students who have consented to participate in the Trial will be asked to engage with the Trial during the school day at an appropriate time. Time in Learning Area classes will not be lost.

If you have any questions about the Age Assurance Technology Trial, please feel free to email the Project Manager, Nicola Elkin, at nicola.elkin@accscheme.com

If you have any questions about the School’s involvement, please feel free to email me at principal@stmarks.wa.edu.au.

Yours sincerely

Steven Davies,
Principal