Teen social media ban already failing: Australia’s kids are outrunning the law

Under-16s in Australia are increasingly flocking to alternative social media platforms like Coverstar, Yope, and Lemon8, as the government crackdown on banning teen use goes into full force.

The ban comes into effect on December 10th, with popular apps such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, Reddit, Twitch, and Kick on the blacklist.

As a result, teens are abandoning traditional platforms in favor of new apps like Coverstar, Yope, and Lemon8, as finding a workaround becomes the fastest solution for Australian youth.

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The banned list is dynamic and may be expanded to include other apps in the future. Notably, it only focuses on account creation, rather than content viewing.

Viral feedback loops are caused by teens migrating to platforms they see trending, as the FOMO effect takes hold.

Comparisons have even been made to the American teen migration to Rednote and Lemon8 in late 2024 and early 2025, as one parent, Mark Bender, observed, “As a parent, I feel like the control has been taken away from us. They (social media platforms) have rolled out ads saying everyone's parents are doing cartwheels because the ban's coming in, but then everyone I speak to, they don’t want the ban to happen,” reported SBS News.

Another parent, Theresa Rojas, highlighted concerns with the increased use of biometric data.

“My concern is the privacy and security around identification biometric data, how it will be stored, collected, and used,” she said.

@sbsnews_au All eyes are on Australia to see how our world-first social media ban plays out in the coming days. All users under the age of 16 will be barred from a wide range of platforms. From 10 December, companies will need to show they're doing enough to eject or block children under 16 or face penalties of up to $50 million. But teenagers, parents and experts are divided, with many saying the new law is far from perfect. Read more @sbsnews_au ♬ original sound - SBS News

Many parents won’t be aware of these niche apps until their teens already have accounts, and they may also be unaware that the apps could collect personal information or lack adequate privacy safeguards.

Last week, an underground version of TikTok called Coverstar climbed to #9 in the Australian Apple Store app downloads.

Meanwhile, on Monday this week, eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant said, “We don’t think we’re going to totally turn off the spigot. We will be watching the migratory patterns, and we’ll be talking to these companies.”

Another success story, the Yope app, which is available for users as young as four on the Apple App Store, leapt from obscurity to become the #1 most downloaded app in late November. Yope functions a bit like Instagram, but with more private sharing features for photos, which made Snapchat originally famous.

A spokesperson for Meta told Australian news channel Crikey that it is akin to a game of “whack-a-mole,” which will leave “teens less safe.”

Industry insiders are also curious about why there are only ten apps currently on the ban list, especially as legislators have been planning this ban for over a year.

Meanwhile, regulating agencies have begun outreach procedures for platforms like Bluesky, Lemon8, and WeBo, warning them about compliance.

As teenagers find loopholes and app usage becomes increasingly fragmented, it could become increasingly difficult to enforce the ban at all.