Australia’s world-leading ban on social media for under-16s has removed millions of accounts, but early evidence suggests tech-savvy teenagers are already finding easy ways back in.
Almost six weeks after Australia introduced the world’s toughest social media restrictions for children, there's one question on everyone's minds: is the ban actually working?
Platforms say millions of underage accounts have been removed since the ban for under-16s came into force on 10 December 2025.
But interviews with teenagers, parents and researchers indicate that many children are still accessing banned apps through simple workarounds, raising questions about whether the rules can be effectively enforced.
Millions of accounts removed - but how many children?
According to Australia’s internet regulator, around 4.7 million accounts held by under-16s have been closed across platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, X, Twitch, Reddit, and Threads.
But researchers caution that the figure may overstate the law’s reach, as many teenagers hold multiple accounts across different platforms.
Timothy Koskie from the University of Sydney said it is still unclear how many individual children are actually affected by the takedowns, and whether risky behaviour is being reduced or simply shifted elsewhere.
"So far, what the numbers have told us is that a large number of the accounts have been closed down. Upwards of 4.7 million accounts across various platforms. However, some young people, in fact, a lot of young people, have accounts on multiple platforms. How many kids are actually included in that 4.7 number, we don’t know for sure," he said.
For parents like Kait Gotham, whose sons Asher, 13, and Ilias, 16, grew up online, the ban has brought little change. “All of the parents that I’ve spoken to have found that there’s no real difference,” she says.
Asher demonstrated how easily he could regain access to Snapchat by fooling the app’s facial age-estimation tool. He just has to make himself "have wrinkles," he explains.
"The first day it (the ban) was released, I was sent a doc(ument) which explained how to get past it," says Asher Patrikios. "There’s no real point really (for the ban) because they’ll just find more workarounds," he adds.
Are children more at risk with the ban?
Professor Kathryn Modecki from the University of Western Australia says the ban risks creating a false sense of security for children online, while allowing tech companies to continue collecting data and engaging young users indirectly.
Researchers also warn that children may start to use less regulated platforms or become more secretive about their online activity.
"These workarounds may mean kids are online with even less regulation and oversight," Modecki says. She adds that children using banned platforms may be less likely to report harmful experiences to parents or carers if they believe they are not supposed to be online in the first place.
While the law has attracted international attention - with countries such as Denmark exploring similar restrictions - researchers stress it is still too early to judge its effectiveness.
"Most of them, their first touch point is six months. So, I would encourage other countries, policy makers and constituents really enthusiastic about this idea to wait on the data," said Modecki.
