Australia’s under‑16 social‑media ban sees over 80% of teens stay online
Australia introduced a world‑first ban on social‑media access for children under 16, which took effect on 10 December 2025. Three months after the ban, the eSafety regulator reported that more than eight in ten Australian teenagers aged 10‑15 were still using social‑media platforms, and the proportion of children with personal accounts fell only from 52 % to 42 %. The study found a statistically significant drop in account numbers on YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok, but usage frequency remained virtually unchanged. Parental awareness of their children’s online habits also declined. The government defended the policy, noting it has reshaped the national debate and that millions of accounts have been shut down, while announcing plans to double the maximum fines for tech firms that breach the ban and to investigate five major platforms for non‑compliance.
The findings are being watched internationally as other countries consider similar age‑based restrictions. The eSafety Commissioner highlighted the failure of platforms to implement effective age‑verification systems as the main reason many under‑16 users retained or opened new accounts after the ban.
Entities: Andreas Babler · Andrew Leigh · Australia · Australian Government · Austria · Chat Control · European Union · Ivan Makatura · Meta (Facebook/Instagram) · Meta Platforms · Meta Platforms (Facebook, Instagram) · Snapchat
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 12 SOURCES] The eSafety regulator launched an investigation into five platforms (Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram) for possible non‑compliance. (eSafety regulator)
- [● 22 SOURCES] Platforms failed to implement effective age‑verification systems, leading to continued teen use. (eSafety study)
- [● 20 SOURCES] Most under‑16 users who had accounts before the ban either kept them or opened new accounts within three months. (eSafety study)
- [● 23 SOURCES] A statistically significant drop was recorded in the number of accounts on YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok. (eSafety study)
- [● 23 SOURCES] The proportion of children with personal social‑media accounts fell from 52 % to 42 % after the ban. (eSafety study)
- [● 22 SOURCES] Parental awareness of their children’s online habits decreased after the ban. (eSafety study)
- [● 23 SOURCES] More than 80 % of Australian teenagers continued using social media three months after the ban. (eSafety study)
- [● 24 SOURCES] Australia introduced a ban on social media for children under 16, effective 10 Dec 2025. (eSafety regulator)
- [● 22 SOURCES] The Australian government announced it will double the maximum fines for technology companies that breach the under‑16 social‑media ban. (government announcement)