Canberra, Australia: Millions of children and teenagers in Australia have lost access to popular social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, Kick, Twitch, and TikTok.
Australia implemented a global first: a social media restriction for users under 16, which came into force this Wednesday. Despite the ban, teenagers are already finding ways to get around it.
The new law mandates that social media companies delete accounts belonging to users under 16 and block new registrations. Platforms that fail to comply could face fines of up to AUD 49.5 million.
However, many young users are finding creative solutions to bypass these rules, using alternative apps, different login methods, or even their parents’ accounts, according to The Washington Post.
Thirteen-year-old Isobel told the BBC that it took her under five minutes to evade the ban. A Snapchat alert notified her account would be removed unless she verified that she was over 16, but she reportedly used a photo of her mother to fool the app’s age verification system.
Isobel says she can still access Snapchat. She was removed from TikTok overnight but can still browse the app. Meanwhile, her younger brother reportedly still has access to YouTube, despite their accounts being restricted.
Some teens are getting inventive with verification bypasses. One user reportedly uploaded a photo of a golden retriever to gain access. Experts warn that young users may also exploit other loopholes, including virtual private networks (VPNs), fake identification, or enlisting parents or older siblings to complete facial recognition checks.
“They might try to change their appearance to trick the facial scanning age estimation,” said Lisa Given, professor of information sciences at RMIT University, speaking to ABC News. “Or they could ask a parent, sibling, or someone over 16 to complete the scan for them to pass the age check.”
On Reddit, teenagers are sharing strategies to skirt the ban. They are buying adult-looking mesh face masks on Temu, enlisting strangers for age verification, or creating new accounts with falsified birthdays. Several users told The Washington Post that they were even sharing adult IDs when apps requested proof of age.
Some are experimenting with “aging themselves” for photo verification. Jillian from New South Wales told ABC News, “I have a 12-year-old daughter. She and her friends were marked as 17+ just by applying fake eyelashes and makeup. Even without makeup, she was identified as 14+. Either way, these young girls are likely exposed to more inappropriate content than before.”
Facial recognition and age verification systems are proving far from perfect. A mother from New South Wales reported that her 14-year-old son could still access Snapchat after changing his age and passing the selfie verification.
I tried changing his birthday back, but the app limits the number of times you can edit it,” she explained. “How is this possible? How did the system confirm him as 23 when he’s only 14?
Lisa Given noted that facial scanning technology has an error margin of “one to three years,” meaning that a system could mistakenly believe a 14-year-old is 17 and thus old enough to hold an account.
