More than 100,000 British teenagers could be locked out of social media in the United Kingdom if they do not have a passport or driving licence when an under-16 ban is introduced next year, according to a report in The Guardian. The report, written by Dan Milmo, the paper's global technology editor, cites Ofcom, the UK's online watchdog.
Ofcom said about 150,000 16 to 17-year-olds do not own a passport or driving licence, according to The Guardian. The Guardian's headline puts the group at risk of being locked out at more than 100,000, and the available text does not explain how the two figures relate.
The watchdog's concern centres on older teenagers, according to The Guardian, which says the under-16 ban may affect those without a passport or licence. The same report says Ofcom stated that "motivated children" will skirt the restrictions.
The summary of the report available for this story is cut off before its second sentence ends. It does not say how age would be checked, whether other forms of identification would be accepted, or whether the government or the platforms have responded.
The under-16 ban is described in the report as due next year, and the available summary gives no other date or detail about when it would start or how it would be enforced.
Sources: The Guardian: UK social media ban may lock out more than 100,000 teenagers without ID.