New data suggests more than 20% of Australian teenagers still use TikTok and Snapchat despite a nationwide social media ban for under-16s.
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| Australia’s ban on under-16 social media access is reducing teen usage, but new data shows enforcement challenges remain for platforms and regulators. Image: CH |
CANBERRA, Australia, March 13, 2026:
Australia’s ambitious attempt to restrict social media access for children under 16 is showing early signs of impact—but new data suggests the policy faces significant enforcement challenges.
Industry figures indicate that more than one in five Australian teenagers aged 13 to 15 are still using popular platforms such as TikTok and Snapchat two months after the country introduced one of the world’s toughest social media restrictions for minors.
The findings, compiled by parental control software firm Qustodio, are among the first independent indicators of how young users are responding to the ban introduced by the Australia government in December.
The policy requires major platforms—including Meta Platforms’ services Instagram, Facebook and Threads, as well as YouTube from Google, TikTok and Snapchat—to block users under the age of 16 or risk fines of up to A$49.5 million.
The Qustodio report found that usage among teenagers dropped noticeably after the ban took effect.
The share of Australians aged 13–15 using Snapchat fell by nearly 14 percentage points to about 20.3% between November and February, while TikTok usage dropped by nearly six percentage points to around 21.2%.
Usage of YouTube among the same age group declined only slightly to 36.9%, although the figures do not specify whether users were logged into accounts. The regulation allows people of any age to access YouTube without signing in.
The declines suggest the law may be influencing online behavior, though the extent of its long-term impact remains unclear.
The data also highlights the practical difficulties of enforcing age restrictions on global digital platforms.
Even with legal obligations in place, many teenagers appear able to bypass or avoid age-verification systems, particularly in households where parents have not actively blocked access.
The office of Australia’s eSafety Commissioner acknowledged reports that some minors remain active on restricted platforms and said regulators are monitoring compliance closely.
Authorities are also working with platforms and third-party “age assurance” providers to determine whether current verification systems are sufficiently effective.
Australia’s social media ban is being closely watched by policymakers worldwide as governments grapple with the influence of digital platforms on children and teenagers.
Concerns about online safety, mental health impacts, addictive algorithms and exposure to harmful content have led to growing calls for stronger regulation of social media companies.
Australia’s law represents one of the most aggressive attempts yet to regulate youth access to major platforms, placing responsibility on companies to verify users’ ages and block minors.
The outcome could shape similar policies being considered in Europe, North America and parts of Asia.
One concern among regulators was that teenagers barred from mainstream apps might migrate to lesser-known or less regulated platforms.
So far, the Qustodio data suggests that has not happened on a large scale.
Instead, usage patterns appear to have shifted only slightly, with messaging app WhatsApp showing a small increase in usage among 13–15-year-olds.
Seasonal factors may also influence the results. Social media use among Australian teenagers typically drops during the country’s long summer school holiday period in December and January, though the decline this year appears steeper than in previous years.
For regulators, the key challenge now is determining whether the ban can be consistently enforced across global platforms with millions of users.
Technology companies must develop reliable age-verification systems while balancing privacy concerns and technical limitations.
As more data emerges in the coming months, Australia’s experience may provide a crucial test case for how governments can regulate social media access for minors—and whether such bans can meaningfully reshape young people’s online habits.