Social Media Bans for Kids Are Backfiring, Experts Warn

France, Australia, the UK, and the EU are all moving to ban social media for children under 15 or 16. But a study of Australia's ban found that four out of five teens under 16 still got onto banned platforms. Kids used tricks like borrowing a sibling's face for ID verification or drawing fake facial hair. Experts say this shows bans don't work and that kids are just being curious and resourceful, which is normal for their development.

When kids are blocked from mainstream platforms, they often move to alternative online spaces that have fewer safety measures. Some end up on Google Docs or podcast comment sections, but others go to more dangerous platforms where they can be preyed upon. Preliminary research after Australia's ban found that kids' screen time didn't drop much—it just shifted to places parents don't know about. That makes the internet less safe for kids, not more.

Age verification also creates privacy risks for everyone. To prove your age, you might have to submit sensitive personal information like your face or ID, which could be hacked or misused. And when parents help their kids bypass age gates (which many do), it shows that families want more flexible tools, not blanket bans. Parents and kids both say they want smarter policies that protect children without cutting them off from important social connections and information.

Instead of age gates, experts suggest rules that limit how companies collect and use kids' data, and tools that let families control content and access on their own terms. Bans just delay the conversation until a child turns 16, leaving them without guidance online. A better approach helps kids learn to navigate the online world safely, rather than pretending they won't encounter it.