‘Not once have we been asked to verify our age’: Study suggests companies falling under Australia’s under-16 social media ban are failing to verify accounts
Australia’s under-16 social media ban, implemented in late 2024, is proving ineffective due to widespread failures in age verification infrastructure. A software testing team created 50 test accounts marked as age 16 across major social media platforms and found that nine out of ten services—including Instagram and Snapchat—failed to request any form of age verification.
The study reveals a significant gap between regulatory intent and practical enforcement. Without functional age verification mechanisms, underage users can easily circumvent the ban, undermining its stated objective of protecting minors from social media access. Researchers also identified additional workarounds that further compromise the legislation’s effectiveness.
The findings highlight a persistent challenge in digital regulation: social media companies lack either sufficient incentive or adequate technical infrastructure to implement robust age verification at scale. The disconnect suggests that companies may prioritize user acquisition over compliance with age restrictions. Addressing the issue likely requires stronger enforcement mechanisms, regulatory penalties, or mandated technical standards to ensure platforms properly verify user age before granting access.