Australia’s internet regulator says more than eight in 10 children aged under 16 were still using social media in March, three months after the country’s ban took effect on December 10, 2025. The eSafety study found that 81 percent of surveyed children remained on at least one age-restricted platform, compared with almost 86 percent before the prohibition.
The findings show that the law has not stopped most young users from accessing social media or significantly reduced how often they use it. About 58 percent of teenagers said they used social media daily in March, only slightly below the roughly 60 percent recorded before the ban.
What eSafety found about account access
Most children aged 10 to 15 who had accounts before the restrictions either kept them or opened new ones by the three-month point, eSafety said. The regulator identified ineffective age-assurance systems as the main reason platforms had failed to prevent continued access.
About half of the children who retained their accounts said the platforms had not checked their age. Others said their profiles showed them as 16 or older, or that automated age-checking tools had wrongly assessed them as older than they were. The results indicate that account closures did not consistently prevent renewed access.
Officials said that, by January 16, companies had removed access to about 4.7 million accounts believed to belong to children in Australia. The later survey nevertheless found that many young people were still using services at nearly their previous frequency, leaving the effectiveness of platform safeguards as the central unresolved issue.
Why Australia introduced the restriction
Australia became the first country to prohibit children under 16 from using social media when the law began in December 2025. Ten major platforms face fines of up to 33 million Australian dollars if they do not take reasonable steps, including age-verification measures, to block underage users in the country.
The government said the policy responded to concerns about cyberbullying, sexual exploitation and self-harm material, as well as their possible effects on children’s mental and physical health. Government-commissioned research published in 2023 found that four out of five children aged eight to 16 used social media, often starting between the ages of 10 and 12. Former National Australia Bank chief executive Andrew Thorburn led that research and recommended age limits.
Video-game platforms are outside the ban. Reddit, one of the companies required to restrict minors, challenged the law in Australia’s High Court after it took effect while continuing to comply; that case remains unresolved. The early account removals and the later eSafety findings therefore point to a gap between formal restrictions and practical enforcement.
Government defence and wider concerns
Andrew Leigh, the assistant minister for productivity, competition, charities and treasury, defended the legislation after the report was released. He said the policy had changed the national discussion among parents and argued that complete compliance had never been expected, comparing the approach with minimum drinking-age laws.
Leigh also pointed to the millions of accounts that companies had shut down. His comments support the government’s view that the law can influence behaviour and public debate even if children continue to find ways around it. The eSafety study, however, recorded little change in sports and physical activity, arts and music, time with friends and family, or attendance at community events.
Concerns about children’s online exposure are also expanding as artificial intelligence becomes more common. The American Psychological Association has warned that generative AI can intensify violent or sexual material and that adolescents may be less likely than adults to question its accuracy or recognise an AI system’s persuasive intent. UNICEF said children were worried about AI-enabled sexual exploitation and deepfakes.
Other governments consider age limits
Australia’s experiment is being watched as other governments develop their own restrictions. The United Kingdom plans to ban under-16s from platforms including TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram from spring 2027, while excluding WhatsApp, Signal, educational services, e-commerce and music streaming. Regulations are due to be announced by the end of 2026.
Denmark said in November 2025 that it had majority parliamentary support for a ban covering children under 15, due to begin later in 2026. Malaysia also said it would block social media accounts for under-16s from this year. Greece has proposed restricting access for children under 15 from January 1, 2027, subject to parliamentary approval.
For Australia, the immediate next step is continued enforcement while the High Court considers Reddit’s challenge. The eSafety results leave the government and platforms facing a specific test: whether stronger age checks can close the routes that allowed most surveyed under-16s to remain on social media.
Also read: Khurram Parvez and Irfan Mehraj freed on bail but remain under strict court restrictions.
More context: China increases maritime law enforcement east of Taiwan, signaling strategic containment.
Related coverage: Families and Australia call for justice after methanol poisoning kills teenagers in Laos.
Related coverage:
No comments yet. Start the discussion.