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[TECHNOLOGY] · Australia, New Zealand · 41 sources

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Part of situation: Global youth social media regulation trends (271 clusters)

Australia and New Zealand implement social media bans for minors

social media ban age verification online safety Australia New Zealand

Data from parental control app Qustodio indicates that social media usage among children under 16 in Australia is rebounding following the implementation of a ban in December 2025. While usage initially dropped, activity on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat has begun to rise again, with some age groups approaching pre-ban levels. Specifically, 25.96% of 13-to-15-year-olds used TikTok as of July 2026, and 11.36% of 10-to-12-year-olds used the platform. Experts suggest minors may be bypassing restrictions through VPNs, falsifying ages, or shifting to messaging services like WhatsApp that are not covered by the legislation.

In New Zealand, the government has introduced the Online Safety Bill to bar children under 16 from major platforms including TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. The proposed legislation includes strict age verification methods such as facial age estimation and digital identity services. Companies that fail to comply could face fines of up to 10% of their global annual revenue. The bill faces political challenges within the ruling coalition, with some members advocating for different approaches, such as platform feature changes rather than outright bans.

Entities

Australia · Christopher Luxon · Erica Stanford · Labour Party · Meta · Meta Platforms Inc. · New Zealand · New Zealand Parliament · Qustodio · TikTok

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Sources

Uso de redes sociais abaixo dos 16 anos na Austrália recupera após proibição | Correio da Manhã Canadá [www.correiodamanhacanada.com]
17 days ago
Trẻ em Australia quay lại TikTok, Instagram bất chấp lệnh cấm [doanhnghiephoinhap.vn]
16 days ago
Nouvelle-Zélande : projet de loi visant à interdire les réseaux sociaux aux moins de 16 ans - Radio Espace FM Guinée [www.espacefmguinee.info]
17 days ago
Teens flock back to TikTok despite world-first social media ban [www.formosadeportiva.com.ar]
17 days ago
Australia - Utilizarea reţelelor sociale în rândul tinerilor sub 16 ani creşte din nou. Care este motivul [trumedia.ro]
16 days ago
Αυστραλία: Η χρήση social media από παιδιά κάτω των 16 ετών αυξήθηκε μετά την [www.anatolh.com]
15 days ago
New Zealand Social Media Ban: Coalition Refuses It, Opposition Votes Save It [www.europesays.com]
17 days ago
Social Media News / August 2026 | Mosh Social Media [mosh.co.nz]
16 days ago
Αυστραλία: Απέτυχε η απαγόρευση των social media στους κάτω των 16 [thefaq.gr]
16 days ago
Australie : Échec de l'interdiction, les ados sur réseaux sociaux [1001infos.net]
17 days ago
Αυστραλία: Αύξηση στη χρήση social media από ανήλικους παρά την απαγόρευση [www.businessdaily.gr]
16 days ago
Australia's Crackdown Culminates in Global Social Media Bans and a Reckoning for Technology Giants. [disa.org]
15 days ago
Ottawa wants to block kids from social media. How would age verification work? [fipa.bc.ca]
16 days ago
Social media use on the rise among Australian under-16s after ban: data [www.france24.com]
17 days ago
Αυστραλία: Το ban των social media δεν σταμάτησε τα παιδιά - Πώς το παρακάμπτουν [www.insider.gr]
16 days ago
Réseaux sociaux : l’interdiction censurée, l’éducation féministe aux médias toujours privée de moyens [www.lesnouvellesnews.fr]
15 days ago
Αυστραλία: Αυξήθηκε η χρήση social media από παιδιά παρά την απαγόρευση – Τι δείχνουν τα νέα στοιχεία [www.lykavitos.gr]
16 days ago
Social media bans for under-16s backfire, academic says [worldstockmarket.net]
15 days ago
Business. Scoop » Landmark Social Media Settlement Shows Better Way Forward [business.scoop.co.nz]
15 days ago
Pemerintah Blokir Ribuan Akun Medsos, Hasilnya Tidak Terduga [www.cnbcindonesia.com]
15 days ago
Aserbaidschan verbietet unter Sechzehnjährigen soziale Medien [de.euronews.com]
16 days ago
Uso de redes sociais por menores de 16 anos volta a crescer na Austrália após proibição [www.dn.pt]
16 days ago
Αυστραλία: Αυξήθηκαν οι κάτω των 16 ετών που χρησιμοποιούν τα social media μετά την απαγόρευση [www.ethnos.gr]
16 days ago
Efectul interzicerii: utilizarea rețelelor sociale în Australia crește în rândul tinerilor sub 16 ani [www.gandul.ro]
16 days ago
Αυστραλία: Η χρήση των σόσιαλ από παιδιά αυξήθηκε μετά την απαγόρευσή τους -Πώς αποκτούν πρόσβαση [www.iefimerida.gr]
16 days ago
Interdiction des réseaux sociaux aux mineurs en Australie : l'usage repart à la hausse [kulturegeek.fr]
15 days ago
Vers l’interdiction des réseaux sociaux aux moins de 16 ans en Nouvelle-Zélande [mafrique.ma]
16 days ago
Uso de redes sociais abaixo dos 16 anos na Austrália recupera após proibição [observador.pt]
16 days ago
Αυστραλία: Αύξηση των παιδιών που χρησιμοποιούν τα social media παρά την απαγόρευση [parallaximag.gr]
16 days ago
Australams naujas draudimas – nė motais: jaunimas dar labiau naudojasi socialiniais tinklais » SAVAITĖ – viskas, kas svarbu, įdomu ir naudinga. [www.savaite.lt]
16 days ago
Αυστραλία: Η απαγόρευση των social media δεν σταμάτησε τα παιδιά – Πώς την παρακάμπτουν - ΤΑ ΝΕΑ [www.tanea.gr]
16 days ago
Social media use on the rise among Australian under-16s after ban: data [thefrontierpost.com]
17 days ago
From Australia to Europe, countries move to curb children's social media access [articles.thelocalreport.in]
15 days ago
L'interdiction des réseaux sociaux pour les ados en Australie a-t-elle vraiment fonctionné ? De nouvelles données montrent un rebond | Toute l’actualité en France et dans le Monde - upday News [www.upday.com]
16 days ago
#national: Under-16 Social Media Ban Raises a Bigger Question — How Much Privacy Are We Willing to Give Up? [waateanews.com]
16 days ago
Factbox-From Australia to Europe, countries move to curb children's social media access [www.al-monitor.com]
16 days ago
Αυστραλία: Αυξήθηκε ξανά η χρήση social media από παιδιά κάτω των 16 παρά την απαγόρευση [www.cnn.gr]
16 days ago
Australie : Echec de l’interdiction… Les ados de retour sur les réseaux sociaux [fr.news.yahoo.com]
17 days ago
Social media use on the rise among Australian under-16s after ban: data [www.newindianexpress.com]
16 days ago
Meta settlement opens new front in global fight over social media harm [www.rappler.com]
15 days ago
Uso de redes sociais abaixo dos 16 anos na Austrália recupera após proibição [sapo.pt]
17 days ago