tech
Children Still Use Instagram and TikTok: Ban in Australia Fails, First Results Show
Australia's first major ban on social media for children under 16 is not yielding expected results. As many as 61% of teenagers who had accounts before the law was introduced can still access their profiles without issue. A new study by the Molly Rose foundation shows that most children continue to use popular apps despite the strict rules.
TL;DR
- 61% of teenagers in Australia continue to access social media accounts despite a ban for those under 16.
- TikTok and YouTube retain over half of their underage users, with Instagram also seeing high usage.
- Social media platforms have taken minimal action to deactivate underage accounts, making it easy for children to access them.
- Teenagers previously used methods like makeup, facial contortions, and VPNs to bypass age verification.
- Over half of teens feel no change in online safety, and 14% feel less safe since the ban.
- Countries like Greece, France, Spain, and the US are monitoring Australia's situation as they consider similar restrictions.