A survey of 1,050 Australian teenagers aged 12-15 found that Australia's ban on social media for those under 16 is largely ineffective. Over 60% of teens who used social media before the ban, which began in December 2025, retained access to at least one account. Furthermore, about two-thirds of the youth surveyed stated that platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram have taken no action to remove their accounts that existed before the restrictions.
Teenagers are reportedly using various methods to circumvent the ban, including using parental IDs, virtual private networks (VPNs), and even masks to fool facial age-estimation tools. The findings raise questions about the viability of current age-verification technologies and platform enforcement policies. Australia's eSafety Commissioner has initiated investigations into Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snap over potential non-compliance with the law, which carries fines of up to A$49.5 million for systematic breaches.