Australia’s eSafety regulator found that over 80% of 10‑ to 15‑year‑olds were still using social media three months after a ban on under‑16 accounts began, largely because platforms failed to enforce robust age checks. Account ownership among that group fell from 52% to 42%, yet daily usage remained near 58%. eSafety has opened investigations into five major platforms and the government has moved to increase penalties and compel more evidence as part of a two‑year evaluation.
Over 80% of Australian Teens Still Active on Social Media Three Months After Under‑16 Ban, eSafety Finds
FILE PHOTO: Social media apps are displayed on a mobile phone
Sydney, July 31 (Reuters) — More than eight in 10 Australian teenagers were still using social media three months after the federal government’s landmark ban on accounts for under‑16s came into force, a report from the national internet safety regulator eSafety found. The study attributes continued access mainly to tech platforms failing to implement effective age verification.
Published on Friday, the report found that most children aged 10 to 15 were using social platforms in March at roughly the same frequency as before the ban began on December 10, and that parental awareness of those habits had declined during the same period.
Overall account ownership among 10‑ to 15‑year‑olds fell from 52% to 42%, with the report noting statistically significant declines on YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok. Despite that drop, daily use remained largely unchanged.
Teens Say Their Ages Were Not Checked
Before the ban, nearly 86% of children surveyed reported using at least one age‑restricted platform. Three months later, that figure remained above 81%. About 58% of teenagers said they used social media daily or more often, barely down from roughly 60% before the ban.
FILE PHOTO: Illustration shows teenagers pose for a photo while holding smartphones in front of an Instagram logo
Roughly half of the children who retained accounts told researchers that platforms had not verified their age, the most common reason cited for continued access. Others said their accounts were listed as 16 or older or that automated age checks had incorrectly assessed them as above the limit.
These findings were consistent with snapshot data eSafety published in late March, after which the regulator announced investigations into potential non‑compliance by five major platforms: Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and Google’s YouTube.
In June the government said it would double the maximum fine for companies that fail to enforce the ban and would strengthen eSafety’s powers to compel evidence from social media firms about the steps they have taken to prevent under‑16s registering accounts.
“While eSafety has observed some improvements by industry since its March social media minimum age update, concerns remain about the compliance of the five platforms named at that time,” the regulator said in a statement accompanying the study.
The report, prepared by a global advisory panel of university researchers, compared survey data from more than 4,000 children and families collected before the ban and again three months after it began. It is the first release from a two‑year evaluation of the outcomes of Australia’s world‑first ban.
Why this matters: Governments and regulators worldwide are watching Australia’s experiment closely as countries consider similar protections for children online.
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