Study finds Australia’s under-16 social media ban is easy to bypass

Source

Where: Australia
When: Reported July 2026
What happened: Researchers testing Australia’s new under-16 social media restrictions created 50 accounts across covered platforms and found that nearly all accepted a self-declared age of 16 without requiring proof. The study suggests current age-assurance methods are weak, especially where platforms rely on inferred behaviour rather than robust verification.