Social media age verification bypass happens faster than lawmakers expect. You’re watching Canada prepare to raise the minimum social media age from 13 to 14. Australia already implemented world-leading ban legislation requiring users to be 16. You assume age verification systems will block underage access. Except kids are already stealing mom and dad’s IDs to age verify themselves and stay on platforms. Levy calls it predictable: kids are really smart, they can work around it, and Australia’s already seeing it happen.

Canada’s reintroducing the Online Harms Act after parliament prorogation killed the previous version. The plan raises minimum age to 14. Not 16 like Australia. Just 14. Levy acknowledges it’s imperfect but argues having imperfect something beats having nothing. The actual purpose isn’t enforcement. It’s giving parents ammunition for conversations. When your 13-year-old demands Snapchat because all their friends have it, you can now say it’s illegal instead of just parental preference. The law creates excuse to build partnership-based relationship around technology use. Government can’t parent for you. Law or no law won’t change day-to-day reality in houses when parents give kids devices and establish usage rules.

Meanwhile, Instagram shows you three posts from people you know out of every eleven. The rest is algorithmically suggested content and ads. Platforms turned into AI-driven revenue generators instead of social spaces. Meta, Instagram, former Twitter all abandoned utility for monetization. If you’re miserable in the process, Levy says Zuckerberg and Mosseri don’t care.

Topics: social media age verification bypass, Canada online harms act, Australia ban enforcement, parental control conversations, platform monetization

GUEST: Carmi Levy

Originally aired on2026-02-03