Teens hoping to get around Australia's social media ban are rushing to smaller apps. Where are they going?

"The social media ban is fast approaching, but I found the new cool app we can all move to."

"A potential consequence of this legislation is that it might actually inadvertently create more risk for young people, says Dr Catherine Page Jeffery, an expert in digital media and technological change at the University of Sydney. There is a very real possibility that, if young people do migrate to less regulated platforms, they become more secretive about their social media use because they're not supposed to be on there, and therefore if they do encounter concerning material or have harmful experiences online that they won't talk to their parents about it."

From 10 December all under-16s in Australia will notionally be banned from TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Reddit, Twitch, Kick and X under new social media laws. Many children may try to circumvent the ban while others are migrating to lesser-known platforms. Less prominent apps such as Coverstar, Lemon8 and Yope have surged on Australian download charts and are being actively courted by companies, including paid collaborations with underage influencers. The government says the ban list is dynamic and may expand. There are concerns that migration to less regulated platforms could create greater risks and more secretive online behaviour among young people.

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