Australia’s online safety regulator reports that children are bypassing social media age restrictions, as the country prepares to ban social media use for those under 16 by the end of 2025.

The report found that 80% of children aged 8 to 12 used social media in 2024, despite most platforms restricting access to users under 13.

YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat were the most popular social media. However, YouTube being the only one allowing supervised accounts for younger users.

Most services required users to enter their birthdate, but verification relied solely on self-reported information.

TikTok, Twitch, Snapchat, and YouTube used tools to detect underage users, but other platforms lacked similar measures.