Australia’s pioneering law banning social media use by children under 16 is facing major hurdles as researchers find that platforms largely fail to verify user age, allowing young users to bypass restrictions with minimal effort.
- Researchers created 50 accounts claiming to be age 16; none faced formal age checks.
- Only Australia's Kick platform enforced proper age verification requirements.
- More than 85% of teens aged 12-15 reportedly remain active on restricted platforms.
What happened
Australia implemented a world-first ban to block social media use by anyone under 16 on major platforms, including Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, and X. To test compliance, researchers created 50 accounts across nine platforms, all claiming the minimum allowed age. None were required to prove their age or undergo additional verification steps, highlighting a critical enforcement gap.
The only exception was Kick, an Australian livestreaming platform that refused to create accounts without proper age verification. Other platforms appeared to rely solely on self-reported ages without escalating checks even when accounts behaved in ways that suggested youth demographics, allowing continued underage access despite the ban.
Why it matters
Australia’s law was designed to safeguard minors by using layered age assurance, combining lightweight checks with escalations to biometric or formal ID proofs if doubt arose. However, testing demonstrated that such escalations rarely occur in practice, leaving the system vulnerable to evasion by determined young users.
The failure of major social networks to verify user age effectively raises privacy and regulatory concerns globally, as governments worldwide watch Australia’s experiment closely. The law’s limited success calls into question how best to balance privacy, user experience, and child protection online, especially given that over 85% of teens in the affected age group continue to use restricted platforms.
What to watch next
The Australian government has responded by doubling potential fines and threatening legal action against non-compliant platforms to increase enforcement. Observers will also look for updates on whether platforms introduce stricter age verification methods that could include biometric scans, parental consent, or identity document checks without compromising user privacy.
Internationally, Australia’s approach will influence ongoing regulatory discussions in the UK, Europe, and the US, where similar proposals for restricting underage social media use are under consideration. The effectiveness, privacy ramifications, and public acceptance of these policies will shape the future of digital age assurance globally.