Key facts
- Over 80% of Australian teenagers aged 10-15 continued to use social media three months after a ban for under-16s took effect.
- Social media platforms failed to implement effective age assurance measures, allowing teens to retain or create new accounts.
- Daily social media usage among teens remained largely unchanged, with about 58% using platforms daily or more often.
- Account ownership for under-16s decreased, but a significant portion were able to bypass age verification systems.
- Australia's internet regulator, eSafety, is investigating Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, and Google for potential non-compliance with the ban.
Three months after Australia implemented a ban on social media for individuals under 16, a study by the country's internet regulator, eSafety, has found that more than 80% of teenagers in this age group are still actively using these platforms. The report attributes this continued usage primarily to the failure of social media companies to implement effective age verification measures.
While account ownership among the under-16 demographic saw a statistically significant reduction, particularly on platforms like YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok, the frequency of daily social media use remained largely consistent with pre-ban levels. Approximately half of the children who retained their accounts reported that platforms had not checked their age, or that age-checking systems had incorrectly identified them as being over the age limit.
Australia's ban, introduced due to concerns about the mental and physical health impacts of social media on young people, is being closely monitored internationally. eSafety has identified five platforms—Meta's Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and Google's YouTube—as subjects of investigation for potential non-compliance. In response, the Australian government has proposed doubling penalties for non-compliant tech firms and enhancing the regulator's powers to gather evidence on their age-checking efforts.