Australia has become the first country in the world to enforce a nationwide ban on social media access for anyone under 16, and the early results are staggering. As of mid-January 2026, roughly one month after the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act took effect on December 10, 2025, major platforms have deactivated or removed access to approximately 4.7 to 5 million accounts identified as belonging to underage users. The eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, described the figures as "encouraging," while acknowledging that full compliance will take time and that some children will inevitably find ways around the restrictions.
The policy targets "age-restricted" platforms including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Reddit, X (Twitter), Threads, Twitch, and others. Platforms must implement "reasonable steps" for age verification, options include government ID uploads, facial estimation technology, or other assurance methods, though the law avoids mandating a single intrusive technique to allow flexibility. Non-compliance carries hefty fines of up to A$49.5 million (about US$33 million). Meta (owner of Facebook and Instagram) alone reported blocking around 550,000 accounts in the initial rollout, with the bulk coming from collective efforts across the named services.
The rationale is straightforward and widely supported in principle: protect children from cyberbullying, harmful content, addictive algorithms, exposure to grooming, and mental health risks amplified by endless scrolling and comparison culture. Proponents compare it to age limits on alcohol, tobacco, or driving — necessary guardrails for developing brains. Australian officials and child safety advocates hail it as a landmark win for giving kids "a childhood" and parents peace of mind.
Yet this cuts to a darker reality: when you slam the door on mainstream platforms, determined teenagers don't simply log off — they go elsewhere, as part of teenage rebellion. History shows that prohibition-style restrictions on popular digital spaces rarely eliminate access; they displace it to less regulated, often riskier corners of the internet.
VPNs and age spoofing — Teens already use virtual private networks to bypass geo-blocks or school filters; layering fake birthdates, borrowed adult accounts, or AI-generated IDs becomes trivial for tech-savvy users, which this generation is.
Unregulated or emerging apps — Platforms not (yet) designated as "age-restricted" under the law—smaller chat apps, gaming communities (e.g., Discord servers), or new clones—fill the void quickly.
The dark web and anonymous networks — Tor, I2P, or decentralised alternatives offer near-untraceable access. While most kids won't dive straight into full dark-web territory, the pathway is short: from a blocked TikTok to a Telegram channel sharing workarounds, then to pirate sites, unmoderated forums, or hardcore content hubs that host everything from extreme porn to radical ideologies without age gates or content moderation.
Private sharing and burner accounts — Older siblings, friends, or even parents unwittingly provide access via shared devices or secondary profiles.
Critics, including privacy advocates, some psychologists, and tech commentators, warn that this creates a whack-a-mole dynamic. Blocking mainstream apps doesn't erase curiosity or peer pressure; it pushes activity underground where safeguards are minimal or non-existent. A Sydney-based child psychologistnoted: "We can't pretend that banning access solves everything... Teens will always find ways to connect online — the focus should be on education and parental guidance, not just blocking." Others highlight risks of data breaches from invasive verification tech, normalisation of government-mandated digital ID checks, and a slippery slope toward broader online surveillance.
Natural News (the source article, linked below) frames the policy with a heavy conspiratorial slant, labelling the eSafety Commissioner a "Ministry of Truth" figure tied to globalist agendas and warning of mass digital control. Mainstream outlets (Reuters, NYT, Bloomberg, ABC) report the numbers more neutrally as a successful early enforcement phase, while noting enforceability questions and global interest—France, the UK, Malaysia, and Indonesia are already eyeing similar measures.
The ban's true test lies ahead. If the 4.7–5 million blocked accounts translate to genuine reduced screen time and better mental health outcomes (an independent longitudinal study is promised), it could inspire a wave of copycat laws. But if evasion spikes — driving kids toward hardcore porn sites, extremist echo chambers, or exploitative dark-web spaces — the "victory" for child safety may prove pyrrhic. Australia has drawn a hard line in the sand. From my understanding of teenage psychology, especially boys, teenagers will find ways around the bans and the internet's hydra-like nature will simply grow new, uglier heads in response. Another woke, feel-good policy, will become a disaster.
https://www.naturalnews.com/2026-01-17-australia-blocks-5m-underage-social-media-accounts.html