Australia’s world-first social media ban for under-16s began on Wednesday, but the rollout has already faced significant hurdles. Despite the restrictions, many children have quickly found ways to bypass the system, exposing flaws in age verification methods.
Reports show that age assurance systems misclassified users, while workarounds such as VPNs and even makeup tricks allowed teens to slip through. The government acknowledged the ban would not be flawless at the start but insisted loopholes would eventually be closed. A spokesperson admitted the technical challenges were anticipated, noting that both authorities and companies face difficulties in preventing young people from accessing online platforms.
The ban covers ten major social media platforms, making Australia the first country to enforce such sweeping restrictions. Officials argue that stronger solutions could be implemented at the operating system, device, or app-store levels to ensure more reliable age verification. In the meantime, parents are encouraged to report underage accounts, which will then be suspended.
Yet, the effectiveness of the system is already being questioned. Alana Scheiffers from Canberra revealed that her 15-year-old daughter and her friends managed to regain access to Instagram by passing the photo-based verification system, which incorrectly identified them as 16.
The government maintains that while the rollout is imperfect, it marks a significant step toward protecting children online.
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