Australia’s eSafety Commissioner reports that the under-16 social media ban has had a limited initial impact. Teenage social media use fell slightly to 81.5% from 85.9% during the first three months of the policy. The ban officially launched in December 2025.
The proportion of children holding an account dropped from 52.4% to 42.1%. Overall usage remains high despite the reduction in account ownership.
The regulator attributes the high usage to platforms failing to implement effective age-assurance measures. Underage users successfully maintained existing accounts or created new ones despite the ban.
The eSafety Commissioner is formally investigating Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, Google’s YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok for non-compliance. Companies found to have systematically failed to prevent underage use could face substantial fines.