Australian teenagers are continuing to access social media despite the country’s landmark ban on accounts for users under the age of sixteen, highlighting the difficulties of enforcing one of the world’s most ambitious online safety laws.

The restrictions came into force on December ten, twenty twenty-five under national legislation designed to protect young people from cyberbullying, harmful content, and online exploitation.

The law requires major technology companies to prevent minors under sixteen from holding accounts on a wide range of platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, Reddit, and YouTube.

Companies that fail to take reasonable steps to enforce the rule face substantial financial penalties.

However, reports from parents, schools, and digital safety groups suggest that many teenagers have found ways to bypass the controls introduced by platforms and regulators.

Common tactics include entering false birth dates when registering accounts, using older relatives’ details, or connecting through virtual private networks that disguise a user’s location.

Surveys and investigations have indicated that a significant proportion of young Australians continue to access social media despite the prohibition.

One recent assessment found that more than seventy percent of children aged ten to sixteen were still using popular platforms after the law took effect.

Parents have also reported cases in which underage accounts remained active because platforms relied on self-reported information.

In one widely discussed incident, a fourteen-year-old’s account was initially allowed to remain online because the user profile listed an adult age.

The account was only removed after additional verification steps were requested.

Technology companies have taken steps to comply with the law, including removing large numbers of accounts believed to belong to underage users and introducing age-verification tools such as facial estimation or document checks.

In the early days of enforcement alone, hundreds of thousands of accounts were reportedly deactivated as part of compliance efforts.

The law is part of a broader push by the Australian government to hold technology companies accountable for online harms affecting children and teenagers.

Officials have argued that limiting early exposure to social media can help address concerns about mental health, addictive platform design, and online harassment.

At the same time, the rollout has sparked debate among educators, parents, and digital policy specialists.

Some experts believe the restrictions represent an important step toward improving youth safety online, while others caution that young people’s ability to bypass technical barriers shows the need for more sophisticated verification systems and broader education about responsible internet use.

Despite the challenges, authorities say the policy is intended as a long-term effort rather than an immediate solution.

Regulators continue to work with technology companies to refine age-verification tools and close loopholes that allow underage users to create or maintain accounts.

The global technology industry is closely watching Australia’s experiment, as governments in Europe, Asia, and North America consider similar restrictions aimed at limiting social media use among children.