From 10 December 2025, anyone under 16 in Australia won’t be able to keep or make accounts on social media apps like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, X, Facebook and more. The rule doesn’t punish young people or their families, instead, social media companies have to stop under-16s from having accounts or risk serious fines (up to about $50 million).

That will teach a whole generation of young hackers how to circumvent this...