Lead

More than 80% of under-16s in Australia said they were still using social media three months after legislation banning them from it came into force, research shows. Australia is the first country to ban social media for children. Since December 2025, under-16s have been prohibited from having accounts with many social media platforms including TikTok, X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.

An observational study of 408 12- to 17-year-olds by the University of Newcastle concluded that Australia's social media minimum age legislation has resulted in "limited implementation, incomplete compliance, and substantial circumvention of social media restrictions." The authors added: "Overall, we found insufficient evidence to conclude that exposure to the act [of parliament] had any early substantial effects on social media use among adolescents aged under 16 years."

Coverage Comparison

Reporting on the study and its implications differs in emphasis between two outlets. ABC Australia, the public broadcaster, focused on how young people are bypassing the ban, highlighting face-scanning technology vulnerabilities and the eSafety commissioner's compliance update. The Guardian's coverage centered on the study's finding that the ban had limited impact, with experts arguing that prohibition alone is insufficient to protect children from harmful content.

Both outlets reported the core statistic: 80% of under-16s still used social media three months after the ban. However, ABC Australia presented a more detailed look at the mechanisms of circumvention, including interviews with teenagers and tests of facial analysis services, while The Guardian gave greater weight to the broader policy implications, including similar proposed bans in other countries.

Key Claims

  • The study, published in the BMJ, found a minimal reduction in daily social media usage three months after the ban. About 85% of teenagers said they were still using social media, with more than half using their own accounts.
  • The eSafety commissioner's latest compliance update reported that 70% of the 898 parents surveyed said their kids still had active social media accounts.
  • Age verification checks were a major factor in teenagers' continued use. Although two-thirds of teenagers in the study said they had to complete age verification checks, only 5% of 12- to 13-year-olds and 11% of 14- to 15-year-olds had to provide a photo of official identification.
  • Face-scanning technology, a popular age verification method, can be tricked. In tests conducted by ABC's BTN, students said they used photos of others to pass age checks. Iain Corby, executive director of the Age Verification Providers Association, described face scanning as "the easiest, the quickest and the least disruptive method" of age verification. The technology provider Yoti said it has developed anti-spoofing technology, MyFace, to ensure a real person completes the age check and prevent children from using photos, videos, or masks of older people.
  • Experts say other forms of age verification, such as government ID checks, can be more effective than face scans.
  • Communications Minister Anika Wells says big tech wants the social media ban to fail.
  • The eSafety commissioner is investigating five social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, and TikTok.
  • The UK is proposing a similar ban, due to come into force in 2027, which would block under-16s from accessing certain social media platforms and gaming sites. Experts and campaigners say the research shows that banning social media is not enough to stop children accessing harmful content online, and that a more "convincing strategy is required."

Perspectives

The Australian government and social media companies have not directly commented in the coverage, but Communications Minister Anika Wells is quoted as saying that big tech wants the ban to fail, framing platform resistance as a key obstacle.

Experts, including researchers at the University of Newcastle who authored the study, argue that the ban's limited effectiveness stems from inadequate age verification and enforcement. They suggest that more robust measures, such as government ID checks, may be necessary.

The Age Verification Providers Association, represented by Iain Corby, defends face-scanning as the most convenient method, while the technology provider Yoti, which supplies facial analysis services to platforms like TikTok and Instagram, maintains that its anti-spoofing technology can prevent circumvention.