Australian teenagers are actively circumventing a nationwide ban on social media for children under 16 by using face masks and parental identification, according to a report by Yahoo.
New data from the UK-based Molly Rose Foundation shows that over 60% of 12-to-15-year-olds surveyed last month still have access to at least one social media platform. The survey of 1,050 Australians found that platforms including TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram have retained more than half of their users who were under the age limit.
Techniques to bypass the December 2025 restrictions include using VPNs to obscure locations and utilizing printed mesh face masks from retailers like Temu to trick facial recognition tools. Some minors have also used parents' Face ID credentials to log into apps like Snapchat and Instagram.
Evelyn, a 14-year-old in New South Wales, told The Washington Post in December 2025 that she planned to use her mother’s Face ID to access Snapchat and Instagram.
About two-thirds of young users told researchers that platforms have taken "no action" to remove or deactivate accounts that existed before the ban was implemented.
Regulatory scrutiny
The findings follow a call from the Australian internet regulator for an investigation into the five largest social media platforms regarding potential breaches of the law.
Australia is the first nation to implement such a widespread ban, placing it in the position of a "guinea pig" for other governments. Countries including the UK, France, Greece, and Spain are currently considering or have already enacted similar restrictions.
Andy Burrows, CEO of the Molly Rose Foundation, stated that the results "raise major questions about the effectiveness of Australia’s social media ban and show it would be a high stakes gamble for the UK to follow suit now."
The legislation targets platforms following research linking extended social media use to increased anxiety and depression. A 2022 study noted that nearly half of adolescents reported the platforms negatively impacted their body image.
However, some experts suggest the impact of social media is not uniform. Jacqueline Nesi, a professor at Brown University, told Fortune that the effects depend significantly on how platforms are used, noting that online spaces can provide a sense of belonging for LGBT+ youth while also presenting risks like grooming.
