Australia's world-first social media ban for children under 16, which took effect in December, is struggling with enforcement. Seven in 10 children who had accounts on restricted platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok when the ban began are still active, mostly by declaring a false age or passing selfie-based verification. Amendments that would have expanded the eSafety Commissioner's powers to compel internal documents and double maximum fines to A$99 million were blocked by the Senate, which referred the bill to an eight-week inquiry. Prime Minister Albanese warned the delay gives platforms time to destroy evidence. The UK, France, Denmark, and Spain are pursuing similar bans, but Australia's experience highlights the core challenge: passing legislation is easy; enforcing it against platforms and building effective, privacy-respecting age verification systems is not.
