Australian under-16 social media ban shows limited impact

Three months after Australia's pioneering ban on social media for children under 16 took effect, more than 80% of teenagers in that age group were still accessing the restricted platforms, according to a new government report. The findings, released by the eSafety Commissioner on July 31, highlight significant challenges in enforcing the law due to ineffective age verification by technology companies.

The ban, which came into force on December 10, 2025, was enacted over concerns about social media's impact on the mental and physical health of young people. The first evaluation report, part of a two-year study tracking over 4,100 children and families, found that while account ownership among under-16s dropped from 52.4% to 42.1% by March 2026, overall platform usage remained stubbornly high. The percentage of children using at least one age-restricted service declined only slightly, from 85.9% before the ban to 81.5% three months later.

Officials attributed the limited impact primarily to social media platforms' failure to implement robust age-assurance measures. The report stated that more than half of the children surveyed said the platforms had not asked them to verify their...