Australian Children Easily Bypass Social Media Age Limits, Report Finds

A new report by Australia’s online safety regulator, the eSafety Commission, has revealed that a vast number of Australian children are bypassing the minimum age restrictions set by social media platforms. The study found that 80% of children aged 8 to 12 used social media in 2024, despite the official age limit being 13 for most platforms.

The report highlights that YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat are the most widely used platforms among young users. However, YouTube is the only platform that permits under-13 users when linked to a supervised family account. Other platforms rely on self-reported age verification, making it easy for children to enter false birth dates and gain access.

The findings come as Australia prepares to introduce stricter regulations. By the end of 2025, a new law will ban social media access for children under 16. Experts argue that without better age verification measures, enforcing such a ban will remain a challenge.

The report urges social media companies to implement stronger safeguards to protect young users from potential online harm. Meanwhile, the Australian government is expected to outline clearer policies on how it plans to regulate age restrictions in the coming months.

For more details, visit the eSafety Commission‘s official website: esafety.gov.au.