What is Lemon8 and Will It Be Included in The U16 Social Media Ban?

The social platform released in 2020 has been soaring in the app store charts

The announcement of the social media ban for under 16-year-olds in Australia has ledto an increase in use of lesser-known social media platforms like Yope and Lemon8.

While the Australian government has firmly stood by their decision to ban major platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook – they have also since clarified that the ban will potentially expand beyond the 10 major apps already mentioned.

So while apps like Lemon8 and Yope are being watched, they are currently still available to download on the app store for anyone hoping to escape the ban.

A statement from the eSafety commissioner has said that after 10 December, any app that meets the criteria of the new laws will be responsible for banning users under 16 themselves.

Companies can be fined a whopping total of nearly $50 million if they don’t take the appropriate steps to ban users under 16.

So, what exactly is Lemon8?

Lemon8 is described as a lifestyle-focused social media app that combines features from Instagram and Pinterest, letting users share and discover content like fashion, beauty, travel, food, etc.

It’s owned by ByteDance, the same company that owns TikTok. The interface is like a blend of Pinterest and TikTok where users can “collect” posts.

It was originally launched globally in 2020 to rival Instagram but it didn’t gain much traction.

A recent report from The New York Times confirmed that influencers are actually being paid by Lemon8 to share content on the app, if they follow post guidelines.

These guidelines include making 10 posts in a month with captions of at least 150 words, and a carousel of between three and 10 photos.

Is it similar to TikTok?

The algorithm on the platform is being designed to be similar to TikTok’s where you can alter what you see more or less of on your feed depending on what you interact with.

There are some concerns over potential data breaching, potential risk of cyberbullying or being exposed to inappropriate material.

As of this week Lemon8 was the #1 app in the lifestyle category of the Apple app store and #2 in the Google Play store for android phone users in Australia.

Yope, a direct message photo sharing app, has also experienced a sudden uptick in downloads, soaring up the charts to #2 for Apple and #1 for Google.

While it remains to be seen whether these platforms will be included in the ban, there’s no doubt that users under 16 will somehow manage to find a way around that ban.