The prohibition of social media for younger users is turning into a challenging issue regarding age verification.

      A fake birthday is sufficient to bypass Australia's social media ban on teenagers.

      Australia’s groundbreaking social media restrictions aimed to prevent children under the age of 16 from accessing popular platforms, including Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, and X. While this significant change sparked controversy, it seems that circumventing the ban was quite simple.

      Researchers set up 50 test accounts across nine of the ten platforms included in the regulations. Each account claimed to have a user aged 16, which is the minimum age allowed. None of the platforms requested the researchers to provide proof or complete an additional age verification check. Only the Australian livestreaming service Kick required proper age verification to create an account.

      Why platforms may already be aware of younger users

      The study uncovered some intriguing insights. Certain test accounts received advertisements for youth banking products, indicating that the platforms might have enough behavioral data to categorize them as belonging to a younger demographic. One account on X, listed as 16 years old, even reported being exposed to pornographic material.

      Australia’s system was built around a tiered approach to age assurance. Platforms can start with simpler checks, such as declared birthdays and user behavior, before escalating suspicious cases to facial age estimation or other formal verification methods. However, researchers noted that this escalation did not occur in their tests, as all accounts remained active.

      Meta challenged the framing of the test, suggesting that the accounts self-reported their age and did not behave like typical users under 16.

      Effective checks create additional challenges

      Australia bans platforms from relying solely on government-issued IDs, as requiring every user to upload identification raises significant privacy issues. Lighter checks maintain privacy and simplify the signup process, but determined teenagers can circumvent them. More stringent measures might involve facial scans, identity documentation, parental consent, or other requirements.

      Earlier studies indicated that over 85% of Australians aged 12 to 15 were still using restricted social platforms three months after the ban was enacted. The government has since increased the maximum penalties and threatened legal action against companies that are believed to be noncompliant. Initially, platforms claimed to have removed millions of accounts suspected of being underage, but ongoing research suggests that mere account removals do not confirm that young users have actually departed.

      Australia’s initiative has also triggered significant attention globally, prompting governments in the UK, Europe, and the US to consider or implement their own age restrictions for social media applications.

      Vikhyaat Vivek is a tech journalist and reviewer with seven years of experience covering consumer hardware, focusing on...

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