Rejected by Citizens, Australia Totally Fails to Implement Indonesian Rules
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Indonesia became one of the first countries to champion regulations restricting social media access for minors, through the PP Tunas regulation introduced since March 2025. Nevertheless, its implementation only began on 28 March 2026.
On a global scale, Australia is regarded as the first country to initiate a similar trend of regulations. Australia has firmly prohibited social media access for children under 16 years old since December 2025.
This regulation has since been widely discussed by governments in other countries, with many adopting it. Egypt, France, Austria, Spain, and the United Kingdom have already or are considering similar rules. Eight states in the United States (US) are also beginning to discuss comparable regulations.
However, it should be noted that the reality of implementing these regulations is not as straightforward as imagined. In Australia, its application has encountered numerous obstacles.
Fortune reported that just days before the ban in Australia, many teenagers rushed to devise ways to circumvent restrictions on social media platforms. One example is Evelyn, a 14-year-old teenager in New South Wales.
In December 2025, Evelyn told The Washington Post that she planned to use her mother’s ID card to log in to Snapchat and Instagram. On the online forum Reddit, there were numerous discussions about ways to evade the ban.
One user suggested using a face mask from Temu to trick facial recognition tools on social media apps. Many also tried using VPNs to hide their locations.
Recent reports indicate that these efforts have been successful. In a survey involving 1,050 Australian teenagers aged 12-15 last month, the UK-based suicide prevention organisation Molly Rose Foundation found that more than 60% of teenagers who had social media accounts before the ban still have at least one social media account.
The social media platforms in question include TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Each has retained more than half of their under-16 users in Australia. A third of teenage users said the platforms took no action to delete or deactivate existing accounts before the ban took effect.
This survey emerges as Australia’s internet regulator plans an investigation targeting the five largest social media platforms over potential violations of the rules.
As Australia seeks to crack down on technology platforms to enhance the effectiveness of its ban, the country faces growing concerns from advocates about how to make these restrictions successful.
“These results raise major questions about the effectiveness of the social media ban in Australia. This shows a huge gamble for the UK to follow suit now,” said CEO of Molly Rose Foundation, Andy Burrows, in a statement, quoted from Fortune, Monday (27/4/2026).