Social media ban hailed a success despite workarounds
Zac de Silva |
Anthony Albanese insists his social media ban for young Australians is already a success, despite many teenagers finding workarounds and even mocking the prime minister on day one.
Apps including Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat are now required to kick children off their platforms in a bid to improve young people’s mental health.
But teenagers are already circumventing the restrictions, and top officials warn of teething issues.
Australia is the first country to introduce age restrictions for social media, and Mr Albanese sought to cast the move in a similar light to other world-leading innovations developed in the nation.
“It will go with the other great reforms that Australia has led the world on,” he said at an event at Kirribilli House in Sydney on Wednesday.
“The Australian ballot, for example, is just one of them.”
Mr Albanese said the ban was already successful because it had been implemented.
“Success is the fact that it’s happening. Success is the fact that we’re having this discussion,” he said.
Ten apps are required to block anyone under 16 from holding an account: YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, X, Threads, Kick and Twitch.
As children seek ways to circumvent the ban, little-known social media apps Lemon8, Yope and Coverstar remain accessible and have shot to the top of Apple’s App Store charts.
Other apps that are included in the restrictions appear not to be enforcing them.
One teenager told AAP he’d been kicked off platforms owned by Meta – which include Instagram, Facebook and Whatsapp – but still had access to Snapchat.
Others have spoken of trying to fool the age verification algorithm using makeup and other strategies.
Some teens have posted on TikTok declaring they “survived” the ban.
Mr Albanese took to TikTok to spruik the ban, but the video’s comments section is filled with accounts mocking the restrictions.
“Didn’t work blud,” one user commented.
“Just wait until were (sic) able to vote,” another said.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant conceded the overhaul wouldn’t be fully effective straight away.
“We’re not expecting flawlessness,” she said. “We are playing the long game. We are united in giving this our very best effort.”
The government has indicated more platforms including LinkedIn, Yope and Lemon8 may be roped in down the track.
Tech companies have said they will use a range of methods to verify a user’s age, including face scans with artificial intelligence, sophisticated analysis of people’s posting patterns and language, and digital IDs.
Some platforms like YouTube will still be accessible without an account, but it will be harder for algorithms to target content at children, and some harmful material will be hidden.
Elon Musk’s X, formerly Twitter, has finally confirmed it will comply with the age restrictions, telling users it would begin verifying the ages of Australian users.
“It’s not our choice – it’s what the Australian law requires,” X posted on its help centre.
Teenager Nick Leech is one of those having his social media access revoked.
The 15-year-old says he’s most worried about how he will stay in touch with friends who live interstate.
“I mainly use Snapchat to text them and talk to them, as well as stuff like Instagram and Facebook to know what’s happening in their lives,” he told AAP.
The teenager from regional Victoria is taking part in a study run by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Deakin University, which will track how the ban impacts young people.
“(Social media) has become such a big part in people’s lives, and … taking that away so suddenly is going to definitely cause some issues,” Nick said.
AAP
