Australia's social media ban plunged into chaos as youths flock to CHINESE alternatives

Photo-sharing service Yope came second, with US-based Coverstar ranking third.

RedNote, the Chinese platform known as Xiaohongshu, has also seen a surge in users.

Meta's WhatsApp also racked up young subscribers seeking new ways to stay connected.

Australia became the first country in the world to prohibit children from holding accounts on 10 "harmful" platforms.

Tech firms must now verify users' ages and remove over one million teenage accounts.

Professor Tama Leaver, an internet studies expert at Curtin University, predicted alternative platforms would see "magical numbers" this month as young people migrate.

"For those that have come off, they're looking for somewhere else to go. They are scratching the surface and they'll regroup," he told the Financial Times.

Yope's chief executive Bahram Ismailau told the newspaper the app had not advertised in Australia but now boasts over 100,000 users there.

"We're really taking off in Australia, and to be honest, we're buried under a heavy load of work because of it," he said.

The company has applied for an exemption from the new rules.

"Yope is built primarily for private messaging and has no algorithmic or public content at all," Ismailau said.

Ellese Ferdinands, a lecturer at the University of Sydney Business School, warned the rapid emergence of unknown apps exposed flaws in the Government's approach.

"If a new app can start overnight, then how do we regulate that?" she said.

"There's a lot of eyes and pressure from regulators on existing apps like TikTok and Instagram. These fringe apps don't have those safeguards."

Reddit launched a High Court challenge on Friday, claiming the legislation breaches Australia's constitution.

"This law has the unfortunate effect of forcing intrusive and potentially insecure verification processes on adults as well as minors, isolating teens from the ability to engage in age-appropriate community experiences (including political discussions), and creating an illogical patchwork of which platforms are included and which aren't," the company said.

Prof Leaver cautioned that pushing young users from public platforms to private messaging services could create unforeseen problems.

"It's not the utopia that some might think. It's a closed space and it's harder to see what's going on," he said. "It could drive the problem further underground."

The shift to apps like WhatsApp means harmful content becomes less visible to parents - and, of course, regulators.

The Australian Government has indicated it may go further and expand the list of banned platforms if necessary - with Lemon8 already holding discussions with Australia's eSafety Commissioner, the body responsible for enforcing the new rules.