Australia’s new social-media rules came into force yesterday, December 10, under the law, those under 16 are now banned from holding accounts on major social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and many others.
Some platforms that weren’t initially included, such as Lemon8, grew immensely in popularity, experiencing mass downloads from under-16 users as they tried to swerve the ban. A spokesperson from ByteDance, Lemon8’s parent company told B&T, however, that it will now comply with the law.
Lemon8 is now for users aged 16+ in Australia,” the spokesperson said.
Despite not being on the original banned list, Lemon8 has restricted use to people over 16 in response to government pressure and rising scrutiny, effectively extending the ban’s reach beyond the first round of platforms.
Yope and Coverstar are also emerging as alternative social platforms that reportedly focus on curated communities, stronger safety settings and more intentional content sharing. As a result of the under-16 social media ban, many Aussie teens and parents are looking toward these smaller networks as safer, more age-appropriate digital spaces.
Yope is in the mould of Snapchat, while Coverstar is akin to a pared-down version of TikTok. Another emerging player, RedNote, is considered the Chinese equivalent of TikTok, though it still features a significant amount of English-language content.
Their momentum is growing quickly, driven by a shift away from traditional social giants and toward platforms designed with protection and moderation at their core.
Both platforms currently allows users from ages four and up and position themselves as a more positive, child-friendly version of social media.
The Australian government is said to be exploring stronger age-verification technology to close emerging loopholes, concerns are growing that the surge to smaller platforms could create new risks even as the country aims to become a global leader in child online safety.
This morning (11 December), Mark Butler, Minister for Health and Ageing, Disability and the National Disability Insurance Scheme commented on teen attempts to swerve the ban on The Today Show.
“I don’t have access to that data yet, but I am so proud of the way in which the community, parents and kids themselves have rallied around this change,” said Butler “We’re going to have to recognise that new platforms will pop up that seek to recruit young people to this damaging, addictive behaviour. We’ll make sure this is not a set and forget as the Government has said, that we’re watching very closely what’s happening in the online world.”
