More than 80% of kids still using social media despite ban

6 hours ago

Over 80% of children still using age-restricted social media three months after Australia's ban.
Account ownership dropped from 52% to 42%, but reductions limited due to ineffective age assurance by platforms.
Many children were not asked to confirm age, some were incorrectly estimated as over 16, others simply listed an older age.
Overall social media use only dropped from 85.9% to 81.5%.
Unintended consequences: some children moved to other platforms, more parents were unaware of usage, and no change in offline activities.
The report suggests age-based restrictions are not a quick fix and other countries should pause.
Government urged to enforce compliance and introduce digital duty of care legislation.

Australia's social media ban for under-16s has shown limited early impact, with only a modest drop in account ownership from 52.4% to 42.1% but 81.5% still accessing restricted services.
Teens easily bypass restrictions due to platforms requiring only self-declaration of age, with 7.4% using VPNs and 11% receiving parental help.
Usage of uncovered platforms like Pinterest (16.6% to 21.8%) and BeReal (0.2% to 2.2%) increased, while Reddit remained stable and Threads/Kick saw slight growth.

Australia’s social media law, effective Dec 2025, raised the age for accounts to 16, a global first, requiring platforms to verify and enforce age minimums.
Early surveys show under-16 social media use declined partially, but critics argue the law fails due to workarounds; however, the law targets account-based access, not all content viewing.
Platforms removed 4.7 million under-16 accounts, and parents report positive behavioral changes in children, including more in-person interaction and improved relationships.

Australia's world-first social media ban for under-16s takes effect December 10, 2025, with no clear enforcement plan.
The law was rushed through parliament in 24 hours, with minimal public consultation and expert input ignored.
Age verification methods are unproven, invasive, and likely to fail, with accuracy as low as 76% for 13-year-olds.

Australia plans to double fines for social media platforms to A$99 million for failing to prevent under-16s from having accounts.
70% of children remained active on restricted platforms like Facebook and TikTok three months after the under-16s ban took effect.
The eSafety Commissioner's powers will be expanded to demand information from platforms and third parties to enforce the ban.

Australia plans to ban under-16s from social media, but the age verification system threatens privacy by requiring sensitive ID or AI-powered selfies.
Massive data breaches are already common; forcing users to upload passports or biometric data creates a high-value target for hackers, with lifelong consequences if stolen.
The ban is easily bypassed using VPNs, as demonstrated by a similar UK law, pushing kids to unregulated corners of the internet.

Australia's social media ban for under-16s has shown limited early impact, with only a modest drop in account ownership from 52.4% to 42.1% but 81.5% still accessing restricted services.
Teens easily bypass restrictions due to platforms requiring only self-declaration of age, with 7.4% using VPNs and 11% receiving parental help.
Usage of uncovered platforms like Pinterest (16.6% to 21.8%) and BeReal (0.2% to 2.2%) increased, while Reddit remained stable and Threads/Kick saw slight growth.

Australia’s social media law, effective Dec 2025, raised the age for accounts to 16, a global first, requiring platforms to verify and enforce age minimums.
Early surveys show under-16 social media use declined partially, but critics argue the law fails due to workarounds; however, the law targets account-based access, not all content viewing.
Platforms removed 4.7 million under-16 accounts, and parents report positive behavioral changes in children, including more in-person interaction and improved relationships.

Australia's world-first social media ban for under-16s takes effect December 10, 2025, with no clear enforcement plan.
The law was rushed through parliament in 24 hours, with minimal public consultation and expert input ignored.
Age verification methods are unproven, invasive, and likely to fail, with accuracy as low as 76% for 13-year-olds.

Australia plans to double fines for social media platforms to A$99 million for failing to prevent under-16s from having accounts.
70% of children remained active on restricted platforms like Facebook and TikTok three months after the under-16s ban took effect.
The eSafety Commissioner's powers will be expanded to demand information from platforms and third parties to enforce the ban.

Australia plans to ban under-16s from social media, but the age verification system threatens privacy by requiring sensitive ID or AI-powered selfies.
Massive data breaches are already common; forcing users to upload passports or biometric data creates a high-value target for hackers, with lifelong consequences if stolen.
The ban is easily bypassed using VPNs, as demonstrated by a similar UK law, pushing kids to unregulated corners of the internet.

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