Australia’s first-of-its-kind bid to kick under-16s off social media isn’t exactly going to plan. Six months after the island nation’s ban took effect, surveys suggest that most young teens are still on the major platforms, with kids easily dodging age checks by using phony dates of birth, finding their way in via family accounts, or even tricking facial-age scans, reports the New York Times. “I don’t know a single person who’s lost an account,” says one mother. A 15-year-old in Canberra reports that for her and most friends, “nothing changed on that day,” with even those who were booted from the app mostly able to find their way back on. Yet some parents and experts say the real impact may show up with younger children who are now unable to get on the apps in the first place.
The law has become a ready-made excuse for parents under pressure, giving them cover to say no to tweens begging for TikTok and Snapchat. It’s also nudging families to band together, delay smartphones, and steer kids toward offline hobbies—with one mother even offering her 12-year-old son a cash bonus if he manages to stay off social media until the age of 18. Regulators are investigating major platforms and could levy multimillion-dollar fines later this year, but for now, parents are treating the ban as just one tool in a larger effort to reset what’s “normal” when it comes to kids and screens. “Ultimately, parents are realizing this is one piece of the puzzle to keep the next generation of kids from addiction,” says one Sydney dad of five. “Parents still need to be gatekeepers.” Canada, the UK, and other European nations are now weighing their own bans for kids. More here.
