Australia's teen social media ban stumbles as platforms skip age checks

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Facepalm: Australia's first-of-its-kind ban on under-16s using social media has run into another unforeseen problem: shockingly, teenagers know how birthdays work. A new study by software testing firm KJR found that major platforms are still allowing users to create accounts without asking for proof of age, even after the law came into force.

Since December 2025, services such as Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, X, and others have been required to take "reasonable steps" to stop Australians under 16 from holding accounts.

The government has backed a system of age checks rather than forcing everyone to upload government ID, partly because of the obvious privacy concerns. Platforms are supposed to look for signs that someone might be underage and escalate to stronger checks.