As Australia moves closer to enforcing its ban on social media access for users under the age of 16, social media companies are being pushed to strengthen their defenses against location spoofing. Guidance from the country’s eSafety Commissioner indicates that affected platforms are expected to stop users from relying on virtual private networks (VPNs) to pretend they are accessing services from outside Australia.
The instruction has raised fresh questions about how, exactly, companies will be able to technically identify and block VPN-based workarounds. While platforms are being urged to take stronger action, there has been no detailed public explanation of what specific systems or detection tools are expected to be used. This lack of transparency has fueled concerns among lawmakers, digital rights advocates, and parents about how the policy will work in real-world conditions.
Enforcement, rather than legislation itself, is now widely seen as the biggest challenge.
Strong Support, Weak Confidence in Effectiveness
There is little doubt that most parents support stronger age controls on social media. However, belief in the system’s effectiveness remains low.
Research from the University of Sydney highlights a striking contradiction: while a large majority of parents believe age limits are necessary, both parents and young people widely expect that teenagers will try to find ways around the rules. This gap between principle and practicality has sparked debate about how far platforms should go in monitoring users and what level of privacy trade-off is acceptable in the name of child protection.
Blacklisting VPN Servers and the Endless Technical Arms Race
One of the most obvious tools at the disposal of social media companies is IP address blocking. Platforms can identify and blacklist IP addresses linked to well-known VPN services, effectively cutting off access from those servers.
The problem is that this approach rarely holds for long. VPN companies can quickly rotate servers and deploy new IP addresses, creating an endless back-and-forth between platforms and privacy services. Each time a block is introduced, VPN providers adapt, restoring access within a short period.
This tactic also risks affecting legitimate users. Adults who use VPNs to secure their data, protect themselves on public Wi-Fi, or maintain privacy online could find themselves unintentionally locked out of social platforms, despite following the rules.
Deep Packet Inspection Sparks Surveillance Concerns
A more aggressive method being discussed is the deployment of deep packet inspection (DPI). This technology allows platforms to examine internet traffic at a deeper level, looking for patterns that reveal whether traffic is coming through a VPN tunnel.
Many VPN protocols leave recognizable digital “signatures” that can be detected through traffic analysis. However, some advanced VPN providers now use traffic obfuscation, making VPN usage resemble normal internet browsing. This makes detection harder and introduces a serious ethical debate: using DPI on a large scale could bring platforms dangerously close to intrusive, surveillance-like behavior.
Location and History Checks Likely to Become the Standard
Most experts believe platforms will take a more practical route by cross-checking multiple data points rather than relying solely on technical packet inspection.
Apps already collect location-based information for many everyday features, such as tagging posts, finding local content, or suggesting nearby accounts. By comparing GPS data with IP address locations, platforms can quickly spot mismatches that suggest VPN use.
Historical patterns also play a major role. If an account has logged in almost entirely from Australian IP addresses for years and suddenly appears in another country overnight, automated systems can flag the activity as suspicious. This type of behavioral analysis is considered far more effective than simple server blocking and much harder for users to manipulate.
Global VPN Surges Point to What Australia Might Face
Other countries offer a preview of what may happen in Australia. Jurisdictions that introduced strict age verification or online safety rules have seen dramatic jumps in VPN interest.
In parts of the United States, VPN-related search traffic surged after new verification rules took effect. The United Kingdom experienced even sharper growth in VPN sign-ups following the rollout of its Online Safety Act. While Australia has not yet seen an identical spike in search trends, industry data already shows strong performance for premium VPN apps in local app store rankings.
This suggests that even if VPNs are not fully effective at bypassing restrictions, demand for these tools is likely to rise as users become more privacy-conscious.
Changing an IP Address May No Longer Be Enough
Experts increasingly agree that basic VPN tricks will not be sufficient to defeat modern platform detection systems.
Large social media companies now collect and analyze a wide range of indicators, including device data, SIM card country information, advertising identifiers, GPS coordinates, and long-term network behavior. This creates a detailed “digital fingerprint” for each account.
As a result, users who have consistently accessed platforms from within Australia for years are unlikely to evade detection simply by switching their virtual location. In many cases, platforms are already reviewing accounts and quietly removing those that display suspicious activity patterns.
The Hidden Danger of Free VPN Services
While interest in VPNs is expected to grow, cybersecurity experts are particularly worried about how young users may respond.
Teenagers hoping to bypass restrictions are more likely to download free VPN apps, which often come with serious risks. Unlike paid, reputable services, many free VPNs fund their operations by selling user data, offering weak or nonexistent encryption, or even installing malicious software on devices.
This creates an ironic and dangerous scenario where users attempt to gain privacy but instead expose themselves to greater tracking, data harvesting, and security threats. Specialists strongly advise families to avoid free services and only use trusted VPN providers with proven privacy standards.
Another unexpected consequence of the ban is the rapid emergence of alternative social platforms designed specifically for under-16 users.
While marketed as safer, these new services often lack the robust security infrastructure, moderation resources, and transparency standards of major platforms. This raises fears that children and teenagers could be pushed toward less secure digital spaces, exposing them to new forms of exploitation, data misuse, or cyber threats.
