Australia banned social media for under-16s. Here’s what happened after three months
Australia’s world-first national legislation to restrict access to social media accounts for children under 16 years old has been in force since December. Three months in, a survey of 1,070 Australian adults provided tantalising evidence of some positive effects.
The YouGov survey found many parents had noticed several positive behavioural shifts in their children aged 16 and under since the law took effect on December 10 2025. This, however, wasn’t universal, with some parents also reporting negative changes in their children’s behaviour.
This data does offer some insights into the impact of Australia’s Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act. But it also has some major limitations.
So what exactly do the results of the survey show? And how should they be interpreted?
Before we can assess any effect of the legislation in preventing online harms we need to know whether the age-assurance processes are working.
Initial figures gathered by Australia’s eSafety Commission indicated social media platforms had removed 4.7 million accounts of children under 16 last December.
This figure reportedly includes a number of inactive and duplicate accounts. As a result, it may not be an accurate representation of the actual number of young people affected.
Young people are also reportedly circumventing age verification restrictions. And a report by Crikey, based on new data by parental control company Qustodio, showed social media usage among under-16s had dropped only marginally in the first three months of the ban.
The YouGov survey took place online on January 12–14 this year – a little over a month after social media age restrictions took effect.
Among parents of children under 16 years old, 61% observed between two and four positive effects. Some 43% noticed more in-person social interactions, while 38% said their children were more present and engaged during interactions and 38% reported improved parent-child relationships.
But these parents also reported negative impacts. Some 27% noted a shift to alternative or less regulated platforms. And 25% observed reduced social connection, creativity or peer support online.
Two thirds of adults in this survey believed greater parental involvement could make the ban more effective. And 56% agreed stricter enforcement and age verification would improve its effectiveness.
This suggests many parents understand the complex challenges around implementation of effective age-assurance processes.
Disappointingly, the proportion of parents in the YouGov sample is not reported, nor is the exact age of their children.
