AI AGE-DETECTION TOOL RISKS MISCLASSIFYING CHILD REFUGEES

Human rights organizations and children's charities have called on ministers to abandon the facial age-estimation technology intended for screening migrants at the UK Home Office. The groups argue that the AI-powered systems contain flawed, racialized models that systematically overestimate ages, particularly for Black children. This bias could force young asylum seekers to be housed with adults rather than receive child-appropriate protections and support. The warning reflects broader concerns about algorithmic bias in government systems, where training data skewed toward certain demographics can produce discriminatory outcomes. Facial recognition technology has been repeatedly shown to perform poorly on people of color. Critics say deploying such tools without addressing these accuracy gaps puts vulnerable minors at risk. The charities are urging the government to conduct thorough testing and bias audits before implementation, and to maintain human judgment in age determinations for asylum applicants.