With the eyes of the world’s regulators on Australia, and its implementation of its under-16 social media ban, it’s price checking in on the most recent updates within the area, and the way it’s entering into holding children out of the app.
As I’ve reported a number of instances, I’m in Australia, and I’ve teenage youngsters, and I can inform you, by my discussions with them and their mates, that none of them have been considerably impacted by the change, with most, if not all, nonetheless utilizing social media as they at all times have.
But, the numbers shared by the platforms themselves inform a considerably totally different story, with Snapchat reporting that it’s locked or disabled over 415,000 Snapchat accounts in Australia belonging to customers “who both declared an age below 16 or who we consider to be below 16 based mostly on our age detection expertise.”
Meta lately reported that it’s blocked 544k accounts in Australia in compliance with the identical, which, together, ought to imply that an enormous chunk of teenagers usually are not capable of entry social media in any respect in AUS.
However that’s not what’s taking place in apply, with many teenagers switching to a different account (I’d have an interest to know if there’s been a relative improve in new account creation), evading detection measures, or just utilizing the apps with out logging in.
There are additionally technical implementation points, as highlighted by Snap, that are nonetheless seeing many slip by these new digital security nets:
“There are actual technical limitations to correct and reliable age verification. The Australian authorities’s personal trial, printed in 2025, discovered that obtainable age estimation expertise was solely correct to inside 2-3 years on common. In apply, this implies some younger folks below 16 might be able to bypass protections, probably leaving them with lowered safeguards, whereas others over 16 might incorrectly lose entry.”
This has at all times been a key flaw within the Australian strategy, that it opted to not go along with a single methodology and system that every one platforms could be required to abide by, and as an alternative offered a primary set of pointers on how the platforms ought to implement age checking.
Conceptually, it will guarantee a extra degree enjoying discipline, with less-equipped platforms nonetheless capable of abide by the legal guidelines by cheaper, much less taxing means. However with out a longtime customary, and a set strategy for all apps, that can make enforcement tough, as a result of every platform continues to be going it alone, and implementing totally different approaches to age detection.
A few of them will likely be efficient, some received’t, and in the long run, there’s going to be no approach for the Australian authorities to legally implement variable guidelines when looking for to deal with implementation.
Snapchat additionally, as soon as once more, notes that the shortage of an industry-wide strategy on social media companies will trigger additional points, with the brand new legal guidelines solely concentrating on particular, giant social apps.
“Younger folks received’t cease speaking after they lose entry to regulated companies. Over 75% of time spent on Snapchat in Australia is messaging with shut family and friends. We’re involved that when younger persons are reduce off from these communication instruments, some might flip to various messaging companies that aren’t being regulated – companies that could be much less well-known and provide fewer security protections than Snapchat gives. Whereas we do not but have information to quantify this shift, it is a threat that deserves critical consideration as policymakers consider whether or not the legislation is reaching its supposed outcomes.”
Which is 100% appropriate, and counters, to a point, the Australian Prime Minister’s statements on the below 16 ban when the brand new rules had been introduced.
In declaring the brand new crackdown on teen social media use, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged teenagers to “begin a brand new sport, be taught a brand new instrument, or learn that e book” as options to social media use.
That’s idealism, not practical, measured coverage, and the very fact is that teenagers are going to discover a option to keep related on-line, whether or not it’s by way of the key platforms or not.
Digital connection is now central to how teenagers talk, and their interactive course of extra broadly. To counsel {that a} ban on sure social media platforms will result in extra youngsters using bikes and making cubby homes as soon as once more is blind to this actuality, and performs extra to the older voting base, who would like issues to return to the way in which they had been.
However they received’t.
So whereas the numbers counsel that the Australian teen social ban is limiting publicity, by banning a whole bunch of 1000’s of teenagers from their accounts, I can inform you, that’s not what’s taking place.
It’s additionally not what’s going to occur, and a greater strategy could be to double down on digital literacy schooling, versus hoping to limit teenagers from social apps.
