More than 80% of children were still using age-restricted social media platforms three months after Australia's under-16 social media ban took effect, according to a new report by Australia's eSafety Commissioner.
The report, which is the first in a two-year evaluation process of the ban, surveyed 803 children aged 10–15 and their parents. It utilized national baseline survey data from before the restrictions took effect in December 2025 and follow-up data collected from March to April 2026.
The eSafety Commissioner identified the ineffective implementation of age assurance measures by platforms as the primary reason for continued social media use. While the number of children holding social media accounts dropped from roughly 52% to 42% after the ban took effect, 81.5% of children reported using at least one platform, compared to 85.9% prior to the restrictions.
Methods of bypassing restrictions
The survey found that more than half of the children interviewed said platforms had not asked them to confirm their age. Many children used other methods to maintain access: 37% said they had simply listed their age as 16 or above on their accounts, and 18% reported that platforms had incorrectly estimated their age to be above 16.
The report also noted early signals that some children were moving to other platforms, such as Reddit and Pinterest. Additionally, the legislation does not restrict use in a logged-out state.
Impact and response
The eSafety Commissioner detected an unintended consequence of the ban: the proportion of parents who did not know their child had used social media increased by 10%. The report found little to no change in offline activities among children three months after the ban began. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he hoped the ban would lead to more kids playing outside with their friends.
An earlier report by the eSafety Commissioner in March raised concerns regarding platform compliance with the legislation. The Australian government now intends to increase penalties and expand the eSafety Commissioner's information-gathering powers. The government has also committed to introducing digital duty of care legislation this year to hold technology companies to account.
Companies selling age-assurance software have called for the Australian government to implement a mandatory independent audit of every platform covered by the restrictions. The Age Verification Providers Association argued that social media companies may opt to wear fines to see the legislation fail.
Updates
Following the implementation of the SMMA law, the proportion of children holding social media accounts fell from 52.4% to 42.1%, while daily messaging usage rose from 40.5% to 52.3%. Additionally, daily video game usage increased from 26.4% to 29%, and the percentage of parents unaware of their children's social media activities rose from 23.3% to 33.3%. The Australian government has also launched an investigation into potential non-compliance by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube.
Following the implementation of the Social Media Minimum Age law, the proportion of children holding social media accounts fell from 52.4% to 42.1%, while daily messaging service usage increased from 40.5% to 52.3%. Additionally, daily video game usage rose from 26.4% to 29%, and the rate of parents unaware of their child's social media use climbed from 23.3% to 33.3%. The Australian government has also launched an investigation into potential non-compliance by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube.
Following the implementation of the Social Media Minimum Age law, the proportion of children holding social media accounts fell from 52.4% to 42.1%, while daily messaging service usage rose from 40.5% to 52.3%. Additionally, daily video game play among children increased from 26.4% to 29%, and the percentage of parents unaware of their child's social media use climbed from 23.3% to 33.3%. The Australian government has also launched an investigation into potential non-compliance by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube.
The proportion of children holding social media accounts fell from 52.4% to 42.1% following the implementation of the law, while daily messaging service usage increased from 40.5% to 52.3%. Additionally, daily video game usage rose from 26.4% to 29%, and the percentage of parents unaware of their child's social media use climbed from 23.3% to 33.3%. The Australian government has also launched an investigation into potential non-compliance by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube.
The Social Media Minimum Age law has shifted usage patterns, with child account ownership dropping from 52.4% to 42.1% and daily messaging service usage rising from 40.5% to 52.3%. While daily video game play increased from 26.4% to 29%, the proportion of parents unaware of their child's social media use rose from 23.3% to 33.3%. Additionally, the Australian government has launched an investigation into potential non-compliance by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube, following reports that 18.2% of children found platforms incorrectly estimated their age as 16 or above.
Following the implementation of the Social Media Minimum Age law, the proportion of children holding social media accounts fell from 52.4% to 42.1%, while daily messaging service usage rose from 40.5% to 52.3%. Additionally, daily video game usage among children increased from 26.4% to 29%, and the percentage of parents unaware of their child's social media use climbed from 23.3% to 33.3%. Meanwhile, the proportion of children experiencing a 'fear of missing out' (FOMO) declined from 43.3% to 36.3%.
Following the implementation of the Social Media Minimum Age law, the proportion of children holding social media accounts fell from 52.4% to 42.1%, while daily messaging service use rose from 40.5% to 52.3%. Additionally, daily video game use among children increased from 26.4% to 29%, and the proportion of parents unaware of their child's social media activity grew from 23.3% to 33.3%. The Australian government has also launched an investigation into potential non-compliance by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube.
Following the implementation of the Social Media Minimum Age (SMMA) law, the proportion of children holding social media accounts fell from 52.4% to 42.1%, while daily messaging service usage rose from 40.5% to 52.3%. Additionally, daily video game use among children increased from 26.4% to 29%, and the rate of parents unaware of their child's social media activity climbed from 23.3% to 33.3%. Meanwhile, the proportion of children experiencing 'fear of missing out' (FOMO) declined from 43.3% to 36.3%.
Following the implementation of the Social Media Minimum Age (SMMA) law, the proportion of children holding accounts fell from 52.4% to 42.1%, while daily messaging service usage rose from 40.5% to 52.3%. Additionally, daily online gaming among children increased from 26.4% to 29%, and the percentage of parents unaware of their child's social media use climbed from 23.3% to 33.3%. Although users' daily social media frequency saw a slight decrease from 60% to 58%, the Australian government has launched an investigation into potential non-compliance by Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube.
Following the implementation of the Social Media Minimum Age (SMMA) law, the proportion of children holding social media accounts fell from 52.4% to 42.1%, while daily messaging service usage increased from 40.5% to 52.3%. Additionally, daily video game play among children rose from 26.4% to 29%, and the percentage of parents unaware of their child's social media use grew from 23.3% to 33.3%. The Australian government has also launched an investigation into potential non-compliance by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube, following a June announcement to double maximum penalties for non-compliant tech companies.
The Social Media Minimum Age (SMMA) law has resulted in the proportion of children holding accounts falling from 52.4% to 42.1%, while daily messaging service use rose from 40.5% to 52.3%. Additionally, daily video game play increased from 26.4% to 29%, despite a slight decrease in daily social media usage from 60% to 58%. Following the ban, the proportion of parents unaware of their child's social media use also rose from 23.3% to 33.3%.
