Research suggests Australia’s ban on kids using social media is falling short

A policy with teeth — but not a bite

It has been reported that recent research finds Australia’s attempts to keep children off major social platforms are largely ineffective. The rulebook is there: lawmakers want tighter age checks and safer online spaces for young people. In practice? Kids are still getting in. Fast, cheap workarounds are turning what was meant to be a gate into more of a revolving door.

How kids get around it

Researchers reportedly tested sign-up flows and observed that simple tactics — lying about birthdates, using VPNs, sharing family accounts, or getting around minimal verification hoops — let many under‑age users create profiles. Allegedly, platform enforcement is inconsistent and automated checks are porous. It’s the classic internet problem: put up a wall and someone will figure out how to climb it. Surprise? Not really.

Why this matters now

This isn’t just bureaucratic navel‑gazing. The policy was sold as a child‑safety measure — protecting kids from abuse, disinformation, and addictive design. If the rules can be bypassed at scale, those protections are weakened before they start. The debate now shifts to trade‑offs: stronger identity checks versus privacy, development costs for smaller platforms, and the risk of pushing kids to even less-regulated corners of the web.

What comes next

Platforms and regulators will need to decide whether to double down on identity verification, improve moderation and education, or rethink the policy entirely. Expect pressure from civil‑liberties groups concerned about surveillance, from parents demanding real safety, and from industry warning about feasibility. It’s a messy, modern policy puzzle — and right now, research suggests the fix isn’t working as intended.

Sources: reddit