France began blocking under-15s from opening social media accounts on 1 September. Australia tried the same thing nine months earlier, and its own regulator has now measured what happened.
The short answer
Do social media bans work? On the evidence so far, not the way they were sold. Three months after Australia's under-16 ban began, its eSafety regulator found more than eight in ten under-16s were still using social media — and most had needed no clever workaround, because platforms never checked their age.
What Australia's numbers actually show
Before the ban, 86% of surveyed children used age-restricted platforms. Three months in, 81% still did, and daily use had barely moved: 58%, against roughly 60% beforehand, Al Jazeera reported on 3 August 2026.
About half of the children who kept their accounts said the platform simply never asked their age. Assistant minister Andrew Leigh defended the law anyway: "We never expected 100 percent compliance."
What France is doing now
France's parliament passed its under-15 ban on 21 July 2026, making it the first EU country to try one. New accounts are blocked from 1 September 2026, and existing under-15 accounts are to be closed from January 2027.
Opponents in parliament argued the law is unenforceable and would effectively end online anonymity for everyone, since proving a user is 15 means checking everybody.
Why these bans leak
- Age assurance is the weak link. A ban is only as good as the check behind it, and the checks are inconsistent or absent.
- Teens route around it. Researchers cited by Al Jazeera describe VPNs, borrowed ID, tricks to fool face scans, and moves to less-regulated apps.
- Traffic moves, it doesn't stop. Push under-16s off ten named platforms and they land somewhere with less moderation, not offline.
- Games and smaller apps sit outside. Australia's list covers ten platforms; plenty of social spaces aren't on it.
What it means if you're over 18
Ask whether social media bans work and you get an answer aimed at children, but the bill arrives at every adult's door. The machinery built to check teenagers checks everyone. That's why sites that never asked your age now want a face scan or an ID, and why your answer is worth thinking about before you upload anything.
Where we stand
Anoniz is 18+ behind an age confirmation, and we don't ask for your ID or a selfie. We'd rather say plainly what that does and doesn't prove: it sets a rule for our side, and it tells you nothing about the person you get matched with. Judge that person by how they behave.
So, do they work?
Do social media bans work? Not yet — they have moved teenagers around rather than off, while normalising identity checks for adults who were never the target. France's own numbers will be the next real test, and they won't arrive until well into 2027.
Whether social media bans work in the end depends on something nobody has solved: proving someone's age without collecting everyone's identity.
Related: why every website suddenly wants your age and what age verification means for anonymous chat. If you're over 18 and want a conversation without an account, Anoniz text chat is open.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not as intended. Three months after the ban began on 10 December 2025, Australia's eSafety regulator found more than eight in ten under-16s were still using social media: 81% were on age-restricted platforms, against 86% before the ban, and daily use had barely shifted. About half of the children who kept their accounts said the platform never checked their age at all.
In two stages. From 1 September 2026, under-15s cannot create new accounts on major social media platforms. Existing accounts held by under-15s are to be closed from January 2027. The law passed parliament on 21 July 2026, making France the first EU country to attempt a blanket ban for that age group.
Yes, indirectly. To keep under-15s or under-16s out, a platform has to check everyone, which is why more sites now ask for an ID or a face scan before letting you in. The privacy cost of a teen ban lands on adult users too — one of the main objections raised by the bans' critics in both countries.
Ready to Start Chatting?
Join thousands of people chatting with strangers on Anoniz. No registration, no downloads — just real conversations with real people.