Australia's first social media ban on minors under 16 is exposing new enforcement loopholes: platforms generally skip age verification, and teenagers apparently know how to "adjust" their birthday information. This situation was revealed by the latest research from software testing company KJR, raising further doubts about the actual effect of the ban.
According to relevant Australian regulations, starting from December 2025, major social platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and X will be required to take "reasonable measures" to prevent minors under the age of 16 from opening accounts in the country. When the government designed the regulation, it did not force all users to upload identification documents, choosing instead to support a graded age verification system to avoid obvious privacy risks. Platforms are required to infer a user's approximate age range from their overall online behavior and upgrade to stronger verification procedures if they suspect a user may be underage.
However, KJR, which was involved in the government's early age verification pilots, found the mechanism was barely working when it tested it after the ban came into force. The company created a total of 50 test accounts after the ban was implemented, and the age was uniformly filled out as 16 years old. The results showed that no account was required to provide proof of age or undergo additional verification during registration or subsequent use, and 9 of the 10 regulated platforms allowed these accounts to continue to be used normally. KJR pointed out that the behavioral analysis link that was originally the first step in age identification did not actually work. "You should be asked to prove your age, but not once were we asked to verify your age or use age verification measures." Andrew Hammond, the company's director, said in an interview with Reuters.
The study further found that when users clearly state that they are under 16 when registering, the platform will generally block such accounts more strictly. But as long as the user claims on the form that they meet the age requirement, the platform will not delve deeper in most cases. Among the services covered by the test, Australia’s local live streaming platform Kick is the only one that actively requires users to provide proof of age during the registration stage.
KJR's conclusions corroborate with another study released in April this year by the Molly Rose Foundation. Data from the latter shows that 61% of Australian minors aged 12 to 15 who already had accounts on restricted platforms before the ban were introduced still had access to at least one relevant platform after the ban came into effect. The report also noted that most teenagers do not need to rely on sophisticated "technical means" to continue using these platforms because the platforms often fail to identify and remove offending accounts.
Meanwhile, findings from a Newcastle University study of 408 teenagers also showed the ban's limited impact. The study, published in the British medical journal BMJ, found that more than 85 per cent of under-16s were still using restricted social media services three months after the ban was implemented. Some people continue to use their original accounts, while others bypass restrictions through fake accounts, falsely reporting their age, selfie photo verification, and even VPN.
Faced with the reality of poor implementation results, the Australian government is trying to "make up for it" by increasing penalties and strengthening supervision. Reports indicate that the proposed reforms would increase the maximum fine a platform could face if it breaches the ban from A$49.5 million to A$99 million, while also giving the eSafety Commissioner greater powers to require platforms and age verification services to provide more detailed internal documents and data.
While Australia struggles to find its way, the UK has confirmed it will implement its own under-16 social media ban in spring 2027. Australia’s experience shows that passing legislation itself may not be difficult. The real challenge lies in how to enable platforms to effectively implement age verification, identify juvenile behavior, and truly implement the ban without seriously infringing on privacy.