UK media regulator Ofcom has set out the methods it thinks work best to check which social media users are over 16, according to BBC News.

Under the UK's social media ban, due to take effect in March, people under 16 will be blocked from 10 of the biggest platforms, including Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat. Many adults are also likely to have to show they are not under age. The proposed methods still need government approval.

Checking ages below 18 is hard. Teens of 16 and 17 often lack credit cards, full driving licences or passports, and can look older or younger than they are, the BBC reports.

Besides standard ID, Ofcom recommends four methods it calls "highly effective." They are matching a photo ID to a live image, checks based on bank records, face age estimation and digital ID services. Tech firms will decide which to use.

"It's on you to put in place what you think works for you," Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes said, according to BBC News. She said Ofcom learned from rolling out age checks for porn sites last year that strict rules on method did not work.

Some tech firms, including Meta, want age checks done on the device, so app stores run by Apple and Google would block under-age users. Ofcom says that would not let social networks skip their own checks.

Ofcom admits that "the risk of circumvention cannot be entirely eliminated." A similar ban in Australia last year has been dodged by many children. The UK says it will take a tougher approach. The government is due to decide on Ofcom's report by the end of the year.

What we know: Ofcom has recommended four main ways to check users' ages ahead of the UK ban on under-16s.
What we don't: Only BBC News has reported this so far. NewsHabit hasn't seen independent confirmation.