A report from Australia's online safety regulator has revealed that children are circumventing the social media age restriction set by platforms. This comes in anticipation of a groundbreaking ban on social media access for anyone under 16, which Australia approved in November, setting a global standard. 

This ban is scheduled to take effect by the end of 2025, raising concerns as the majority of social media platforms currently do not permit users under 13. 

However, the report found that 80% of children aged between eight and 12 were actively using social media in 2024. While many popular platforms, such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat, were found to be used frequently, only YouTube allows usage for children under 13 when linked to a family account under parental supervision. 

The report found that children were largely able to maintain their social media accounts without being shut down for underage activity. Furthermore, the report points out that while some platforms use tools to detect underage users, others do not, despite having the capacity to do so.

- CyberBeat