Australia’s groundbreaking social media ban for children under 16 is off to a slow start, according to peer-reviewed research.
In December 2025, Australia became the first major economy to ban minors from social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and X. However, the vast majority of Australian teens (85%) have accessed social media in the past seven days, according to research published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ). Half used their own accounts.
Though two-thirds of teenagers said they had to complete age-verification checks, only 5% of 12- to 13-year-olds and 11% of 14- to 15-year-olds had to provide official ID. Fake accounts are a common method of bypassing the ban. Roughly 15% of 12- to 13-year-olds used a fake account, compared with 19% of 14- to 15-year-olds. Only about 3% used VPNs.
The research, conducted by the University of Newcastle, surveyed 408 minors aged 12 to 17 in New South Wales.
The findings come as governments around the world, including the UK, have proposed social media bans of their own. The UK’s regulations are set to come into force in 2027.
Andy Burrows, chief executive of UK-based nonprofit the Molly Rose Foundation, told The Guardian that unless “ministers have a coherent plan to urgently learn lessons,” the UK’s ban may also fail to have the intended impact. He added that parents deserve more than “a performative ban” that is “unlikely to improve our teens’ mental health and wellbeing.”
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Australia’s government has said it intends to press ahead with enforcement. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation earlier this week that he wants to “make sure that the laws are as strong as possible and that they will withstand any legal challenges which are made.”
Meanwhile, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner and Communications Minister, Anika Wells, said the country is planning legal action against five of the biggest social media platforms, with potential fines of up to A$49.5 million ($34 million) on the table for noncompliance.
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