Australia's Under-16 Social Media Ban Fails as Compliance Falls to 6%

Australia introduced a law in December 2025 that bans users under 16 from accessing platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat. A joint study by the Max‑Planck Institute for Behavioural Economics and the University of Chicago, based on surveys of roughly 1,700 Australian teenagers, found that only six percent complied six months after the law took effect. Usage among 14‑ to 15‑year‑olds actually rose, with 92 % reporting they had used a prohibited platform in the prior week.

Researchers attribute the low compliance to the ease of circumvention – many youths entered false birth dates, used VPNs to mask location, or accessed accounts belonging to parents or siblings. “Sechs Monate nach Inkrafttreten zeigt sich, dass das Gesetz noch nicht ausreichend Wirkung erzielt,” said study co‑author Christopher Roth. The study notes that platforms have not implemented technical safeguards, leaving the ban largely ineffective and prompting other regions, including the EU, to watch the Australian experiment closely.

The findings raise questions about the practical enforceability of age‑based online restrictions and suggest that without robust technical measures, such regulations may be easily bypassed.