A recent report by Australia’s online safety regulator has revealed that children in the country can easily bypass minimum age restrictions set by social media platforms.
The findings come ahead of a landmark government ban that will prohibit access to these platforms for users under the age of 16.
The eSafety Commission’s report combined data from a national survey of social media use among children aged eight to 15, as well as responses from eight major platforms, including YouTube (Alphabet), Facebook (Meta), and Twitch (Amazon).
Australia passed a law in November 2024 enforcing a social media ban for children under 16, positioning itself as a global leader in online safety regulation.
The ban is set to take effect by the end of 2025. Currently, most social media companies prohibit users under 13 from accessing their services, but the report suggests enforcement remains weak.
Findings indicate that 80% of Australian children aged eight to 12 used social media in 2024, with YouTube, TikTok (ByteDance), Instagram (Meta), and Snapchat (Snap) being the most popular platforms. While all surveyed services except Reddit required users to enter a date of birth upon sign-up, they relied solely on self-declaration without additional verification tools.
“There is still significant work to be done by any social media platform relying on truthful self-declaration to determine age, especially with the upcoming government legislation,” said eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant.
YouTube is set to be exempt from the ban as it allows children under 13 to use the platform under a family account with parental supervision. However, the report found that none of the surveyed children aged eight to 12 who had accounts reported being shut down for being underage.
The report also noted that 95% of children under 16 used at least one of the eight social media platforms surveyed. Some platforms, including TikTok, Twitch, Snapchat, and YouTube, have tools to proactively detect underage users, but others have not implemented such measures despite having the technology.
A TikTok spokesperson stated that since early 2023, the company’s proactive age detection tools have resulted in the removal of over one million Australian users suspected of being underage. Meanwhile, a Meta spokesperson argued that app stores should bear responsibility for enforcing age restrictions rather than individual platforms.
The report highlighted that most social media services had undertaken research to enhance their age verification systems, and some had implemented pathways for users to report accounts suspected of belonging to individuals under 13.
