Despite strict laws and hefty penalties, a majority of teens appear to be bypassing restrictions, raising questions over enforcement.Australia’s ambitious move to block social media access for users under 16 is facing scrutiny, with new findings suggesting widespread non-compliance. A recent compliance report indicates that nearly 70 per cent of minors who had accounts before the ban are still able to access platforms.The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act, enforced in December, places full responsibility on tech companies to prevent underage users from holding accounts. Platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube and Reddit are classified as “age-restricted”, with fines of up to AUD 49.5 million for violations.However, enforcement gaps remain evident. According to the new eSafety Compliance Report and Survey, 31 per cent of parents said their children still maintain at least one account.Platform-wise, retention remains high — roughly 69 per cent for Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, over 63 per cent for Facebook, and nearly half for YouTube.Australia’s eSafety Commission attributed the issue largely to weak enforcement mechanisms. Many minors reportedly retain access because platforms have yet to prompt age verification. In some cases, systems allow repeated verification attempts, effectively enabling underage users to bypass restrictions.Concerns have also been raised over the reliability of technologies such as facial age estimation, particularly for users near the age threshold. Critics argue that these limitations reflect a lack of urgency, or even resistance, from tech firms in fully implementing the law.Responding to the criticism, Meta platforms said age verification remains an industry-wide challenge, citing margin of error around the 16-year cut-off. The company has instead called for stronger controls at the app store and device level, including parental approvals.While authorities claim that 4.7 million accounts were removed or restricted soon after the ban took effect, the continued presence of underage users online has cast doubt on how effective the policy is.