World News
Data indicates Australia's social media ban for minors has seen limited success in reducing usage
Metrics from parental control firm Qustodio and Australia's eSafety commission show youth social media activity largely rebounding after initial drops following the December 2025 mandate.
The short version
- Australia banned social media apps for children under the age of 16 in December 2025.
- Data from parental-control company Qustodio and Australia's eSafety commission indicates that youth social media usage largely rebounded after an initial post-ban dip.
- Subsequent surveys reveal that many teenagers reported little difficulty bypassing age restrictions.
- Despite enforcement challenges, several other international jurisdictions are enacting or considering similar social media bans for youth.
Key facts
- Australia implemented a legal ban on social media apps for children under 16 in December 2025.[Business Insider]
- Parental-control tool company Qustodio reported that 26% of children aged 13 to 15 were on TikTok as of July 2026, just one percentage point lower than before the ban took effect.[Business Insider]
- Qustodio's data showed that TikTok usage rates among children aged 10 to 12 increased relative to pre-ban levels after an initial decline immediately following implementation.[Business Insider]
- Australia's eSafety commission reported earlier in 2026 that the share of 10- to 15-year-olds using social media apps had only fallen from 86% to roughly 81%.[Business Insider]
- Similar youth social media restrictions are being pursued or enforced in France, the UK, Indonesia, Malaysia, and New Zealand.[Business Insider]
What remains uncertain
- Qustodio noted that its dataset is restricted to devices where parents paid for its monitoring software, meaning broader national social media usage rates across all Australian minors may be higher.[Business Insider]
- It remains uncertain whether technology companies can implement age-verification mechanisms that effectively enforce bans without causing major privacy intrusions.[Business Insider]
Sources
- Australia's social media ban for teens is going, uh, pretty badlyBusiness Insider metered