Australian Children Easily Bypass Social Media Age Limits Ahead of Ban

Australian Children Easily Bypass Social Media Age Limits Ahead of Ban

Overview of the Report

A report by Australia’s online safety regulator has found that children in Australia can easily bypass the minimum age limits imposed by social media platforms. This comes ahead of a government ban that will restrict social media access for those under 16 by the end of 2025.

Survey Findings

The report combined results from a national survey on social media usage among children aged eight to 15, along with responses from eight major social media services.

Key findings include:

• 80% of Australian children aged eight to 12 used social media in 2024.
• The most popular platforms among young users were YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat.
• 95% of teens under 16 used at least one of the surveyed platforms.

Current Age Restrictions and Loopholes

Social media platforms generally do not allow users under 13. However, enforcement is weak due to platforms relying on self-declared ages at sign-up, without additional verification tools. The report noted that all services except Reddit required users to enter a date of birth, but none had strict verification mechanisms in place.

Efforts by Social Media Platforms

• YouTube is the only service allowing under-13 users with parental supervision via family accounts.
• Despite policies against underage users, no eight to 12-year-olds reported being removed from platforms for being underage.
• Some platforms, including TikTok, Twitch, Snapchat, and YouTube, used proactive detection tools to identify underage users, while others did not.
• Several companies have undertaken research to improve age verification methods.

Government and Regulatory Response

With the new ban approaching, the eSafety Commissioner has emphasized the need for better age verification systems. Commissioner Julie Inman Grant stated that relying on self-declared ages is insufficient and that significant improvements are required to enforce the new legislation effectively.

The success of the upcoming ban will depend on the ability of social media platforms to implement and enforce stricter age verification measures. However, the report suggests that without improved enforcement mechanisms, children may continue to find ways around restrictions.

“Australian Children Easily Bypass Social Media Age Limits Ahead of Ban” “Australian Children Easily Bypass Social Media Age Limits Ahead of Ban”