Four in five under-16s in Australia using social media despite ban, study shows

Experts say law not enough to stop children accessing harmful content online and more ‘convincing strategy is required’

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.