- Australia's social media ban for under-16s blocks access to major platforms like TikTok and Snapchat
- Platforms must remove under-16 accounts and stop new sign-ups or face fines up to $49.5 million
- Teens bypass the ban using parents' accounts, VPNs, fake IDs, and alternative verification methods
Australia's world-first social media ban for under-16s came into effect on Wednesday, but teens are already finding ways around it.
Millions of children and teenagers lost access to major platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, Kick, Twitch, and TikTok. The law requires platforms to remove accounts held by users under 16 and prevent new registrations, with fines of up to $49.5 million for non-compliance.
Despite strict rules, many teens have been finding workarounds: new apps, alternative log-in methods, and even using their parents' accounts, The Washington Post reported.
Thirteen-year-old Isobel told the BBC it took her less than five minutes to bypass the ban. A Snapchat notification warned she would be removed unless she could prove she was over 16, but she said she used a photo of her mother to trick the app's age checks.
Isobel now says she can still access Snapchat. She was removed from TikTok overnight, though she can still scroll through the app. Her younger brother reportedly still has access to YouTube, even though their accounts are frozen.
Some have found inventive ways to bypass the verification systems. A user reportedly uploaded a photo of a golden retriever to gain access.
Experts also warn that teens can exploit other loopholes, such as virtual private networks (VPNs), fake IDs, or enlisting parents or older siblings to complete facial verification scans.
“They may try to alter their appearance to try to trick facial scanning age estimation,” said Lisa Given, a professor of information sciences at RMIT University, as per ABC News. “Or they may have a sibling, parent, or another person over 16 do the facial scan for them to get past the age checks.”
Across Reddit, teens are brainstorming ways to skirt the ban. They are buying adult-looking mesh face masks on Temu, getting strangers to verify their age, or starting new accounts with fake birthdays. Several told The Washington Post that they were sharing adult IDs if apps asked for proof of age.
Some teens are even learning how to “age themselves” for photo verification.
Jillian from New South Wales shared with ABC News, “I have a 12-year-old daughter. She and her friends were identified as 17+ simply by putting on some fake lashes and makeup. Even without the [make-up] she was identified as 14+. So either way, these young girls are likely exposed to more inappropriate chats or content than they were before.”
Facial recognition and age verification systems are also proving imperfect. A woman from New South Wales said her 14-year-old son still had access to Snapchat after changing his age and passing the k-ID selfie verification.
“I went into his Snapchat account to change his birthday back, and it won't let me as you can only change your date of birth a limited amount of times,” she told the outlet. “How can this be allowed? How did he get his age confirmed at 23 when he is only 14?”
Lisa Given said facial scanning technology has an error margin of “one to three years.” “That means the system could guess that a 14-year-old is a 17-year-old and [incorrectly] believe that they are old enough to have an account,” she said.
