Australia to tighten teen social media ban as study shows 85% still online

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Parliament on Thursday that his government would strengthen enforcement of Australia's world-first ban on social media for children under 16, pledging digital duty of care legislation and backing regulatory action against major platforms that have failed to keep minors off their services.abc+1

Research Shows Ban Has Had Minimal Impact

The announcement came as a study published this week in the British Medical Journal found that 85% of Australians aged 12 to 15 were still using restricted platforms three months after the ban took effect in December 2025. Two-thirds of underage users stayed online simply by self-declaring an age over 16 or posting a selfie that the platform accepted. VPN use to circumvent the ban was uncommon, the researchers found, suggesting the platforms' own age-verification systems are the weak link.theconversation+1

The findings align with earlier data from eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, whose first compliance report found roughly seven in ten children who previously used social media still had an account on Facebook Meta Platforms, Inc. ↘ 4.90%, Instagram, Snapchat Snap Inc. ↗ 1.89%, or TikTok after the ban. Since the ban took effect, more than five million accounts belonging to under-16s have been removed or deactivated, yet minors have continued creating new accounts or retaining old ones.youtube+2

Platforms Face Legal Action and New Obligations

The eSafety Commissioner has placed five platforms — Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube Alphabet Inc. ↘ 0.48% — under investigation for potential non-compliance. Communications Minister Anika Wells said the government has been "establishing a foundation of evidence" so the regulator can bring successful cases in the Federal Court. Platforms face fines of up to AU$49.5 million for systemic failures to take reasonable steps to enforce the restrictions.yahoo+3

Albanese confirmed the government would proceed with digital duty of care legislation, which would require online platforms to take proactive steps to prevent foreseeable harms caused by content and algorithmic systems. The framework would shift regulation from reactive content takedowns to addressing platform design features such as recommendation engines and infinite scroll.alexiamaddox+3

A Law Under Scrutiny at Home and Abroad

Australia's ban, which took effect on December 10, 2025, covers ten platforms including YouTube, X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, Twitch, Threads, and Kick. No fines have yet been issued against any platform. Countries including Canada have since introduced similar legislation, with the Canadian government tabling its own under-16 ban in June 2026.bbc+3

Researchers have cautioned that the full effects of the ban may not be apparent for years, but the early evidence has intensified political pressure on the Albanese government ahead of the next federal election.theconversation