Most Australian teens still online three months after under-16 ban

The Australian authorities has defended the prohibition aft a study concluded astir teenagers had recovered ways to get astir it.

More than 8 successful 10 Australian teenagers are inactive utilizing societal media, skirting the government’s three-month-old landmark prohibition connected the platforms for under-16s due to the fact that ‌tech firms person failed to instrumentality effectual property checks, the country’s net regulator has found.

In a survey published connected Friday, eSafety besides recovered astir children aged betwixt 10 and 15 were utilizing societal media conscionable arsenic often successful March arsenic they had earlier the prohibition came into unit connected December 10 past year, portion parental consciousness of their habits decreased.

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“Most under-16s who had societal media accounts earlier commencement were capable to either clasp them oregon make caller ones astatine the three-month ⁠mark, with societal media platforms’ nonaccomplishment to instrumentality effectual property assurance measures cited arsenic the main reason,” eSafety said successful a statement.

Australia introduced the world-first prohibition due to the fact that of concerns astir the effect of societal media connected the intelligence and carnal wellness of children and young people. Its implementation is being intimately watched by galore nations that person since sought to present their ain curbs.

Before the ban, astir 86 percent of children surveyed reported utilizing astatine slightest 1 age-restricted platform. Three months later, that fig remained supra 81 percent, the study said.

A connection that reads ‘Let them beryllium kids’ is projected onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge to people a instrumentality banning societal media for users nether 16 successful Australia successful Sydney, Australia, December 10, 2025 [Hollie Adams/Reuters]

About 58 percent of teenagers reported utilizing societal media daily, hardly down from astir 60 percent earlier the ban, it found.

The study showed minimal alteration successful “sports and carnal activity, arts and music, spending clip with friends and family, and attendance astatine assemblage events”.

About fractional the children who retained their accounts said platforms had not checked their age, the astir communal crushed they were capable to enactment connected the services. Others said their accounts listed them arsenic aged 16 oregon older oregon ‌that age-checking ⁠systems had incorrectly determined they were older.

Australia’s authorities mounted a defence connected Saturday of its prohibition aft Andrew Leigh, adjunct curate for productivity, competition, charities and treasury, was confronted with the regulator’s findings.

He argued the prohibition had already reshaped the nationalist debate. The prohibition has been “an important crippled changer successful the speech among parents”, Leigh said successful televised remarks.

“We’ve had millions of accounts unopen down,” helium said.

“We ne'er expected that this would person 100 percent compliance. We don’t get 100 percent compliance retired of minimum drinking property laws, but it’s inactive due that we person that instrumentality connected the books.”