social media ban
As the age-verification rollout continues, regulators warn that children are swiftly moving to unlisted platforms. (PHOTOS: Wikipedia, Facebook, and LinkedIn)

Australia's pioneering social media ban for under-16s officially came into force on 10 December 2025, removing more than a million children from major platforms. However, rather than simply logging off, many young Australians are turning to alternative apps that are not included on the government's restricted list. Critics have warned that this approach resembles a game of 'whack-a-mole', with new platforms quickly rising to fill the gap left by banned sites.

The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 requires 10 major platforms to take 'reasonable steps' to prevent anyone under 16 from creating accounts. Those that fail to comply face fines of up to £24 million ($32 million), according to the eSafety Commissioner. For concerned parents wondering where their children might be heading online next, here's a breakdown of the emerging platforms gaining popularity.

Emerging Platforms Toppling the Charts

Data from analytics platform Sensor Tower indicates that several lesser-known apps have experienced a surge in downloads ahead of the ban, as reported by Crikey. These apps tend to fall into specific categories.

Photo and Video Sharing
Lemon8, a lifestyle app owned by ByteDance—the parent company of TikTok—has become the most-downloaded free app on Australia's Apple App Store, according to Bloomberg. The app functions similarly to Instagram, allowing users to share photos and short videos.

Yope, a private photo-sharing app that describes itself as a 'visual diary', has attracted around 100,000 new Australian users through word of mouth alone, CNN reported. The app swiftly climbed to #1 on the Apple App Store and #2 on Google Play within a week, rising from near obscurity.

Youth-Focused Platforms
Coverstar, which markets itself as 'the safest alternative to TikTok' for children aged nine to 16, has risen to third place on the App Store, according to Bloomberg. The platform promotes 'positive and age-appropriate' content creation, although it was not included in the initial assessment by the eSafety Commissioner.

Gaming and Messaging Services
Several platforms remain exempt from the ban due to their primary classification as gaming or messaging services. According to the eSafety Commissioner, these include Discord, Roblox, Steam and Steam Chat, YouTube Kids, WhatsApp, Messenger, Pinterest, Google Classroom, GitHub, and LEGO Play.

Why the Migration Worries Experts

The mass shift to unregulated platforms has sparked significant concern. Critics warn it resembles a game of 'whack-a-mole', with teenagers facing increased risks on sites lacking robust content moderation.

The eSafety Commissioner has written to ByteDance and Yope, urging them to assess whether their platforms should fall under the new restrictions, ABC reported. Communications Minister Anika Wells told ABC she would have 'more to say' about Lemon8 and hinted that platforms like Yope and LinkedIn could be added to the banned list.

Nicky Buckley, Assistant Head of Junior School Student Engagement and Culture at All Saints Anglican School, expressed alarm at the exemption of gaming platforms. 'I've got children as young as year two online messaging strangers, and it's not okay,' she told CNN.

Research conducted by the eSafety Commissioner found that nearly three in four Australian children aged 10 to 15 have viewed harmful content online—including hate speech and body-image pressure, as reported by Al Jazeera. The same study indicated that around 80% of children aged eight to 16 are active on social media.

What Parents Should Watch For

Despite the ban, platforms are employing various age verification methods—from AI-powered facial recognition to document checks. Nonetheless, some teenagers have already found ways to circumvent restrictions. Videos circulating online show young users attempting to bypass controls using makeup and other tricks, as widely reported.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant acknowledged that full compliance will not happen overnight. 'We're working closely,' she said, adding that enforcement will focus on platforms with the highest number of underage users.

For Australian families, the message is clear: while the digital landscape has been reshaped by the ban, the challenges of keeping children safe online remain. Parents should familiarise themselves with the platforms that are exempt from restrictions and actively monitor their children's screen time and online behaviour.

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