Australian Children's Social Media Use Rises Despite Under-16 Ban
Social media use by children under the age of 16 in Australia has risen again despite the government having imposed a ban on the use of social media platforms for that age group since December 2025.
Data from parental control app company Qustodio released on Wednesday (26/8) shows that activity among children aged 10–12 and 13–15 on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat has climbed back up after initially falling when the restrictions were introduced.
Australia became one of the first countries to implement such a rule. The policy has since become a reference point for a number of other countries, including the United Kingdom and France, which are also considering or implementing similar restrictions to protect children from risks in the digital space.
A decline in social media use initially occurred across the board after the ban was imposed. However, children’s activity subsequently increased again and on several platforms even approached pre-ban usage levels.
On TikTok, for example, 25.9% of children aged 13–15 still use the video-sharing platform. That figure is only about 1.1 percentage points lower than the usage rate before the ban took effect.
Meanwhile, TikTok use among children aged 10–12 was just 0.06 percentage points below pre-ban levels.
Increases were also recorded in the use of Instagram and Snapchat by both age groups.
Yasmin London, Global Online Safety Expert at Qustodio, said children may be using various methods to circumvent the restrictions imposed by the government.
“They could be accessing these platforms with a VPN, or disguising their age,” London said.
However, she said there is a simpler possibility: the restrictions have not been effective in preventing children from accessing social media platforms.
“But it could be as simple as them still accessing these apps because the restrictions are not working,” she said.
Qustodio data also shows children are increasingly shifting to WhatsApp, a messaging platform not covered by Australia’s social media ban.
Qustodio collected the data by anonymously analysing children’s monthly use of social media apps in Australia. A user is counted if they used an app for more than five consecutive minutes at least once in a month.
The Australian government previously stated that the restriction policy is intended to protect children from cyberbullying and threats arising from ‘predatory algorithms’ that can push certain content to young users.
However, the effectiveness of the policy remains a matter of debate.
In a peer-reviewed study published in June 2026, a research team based in Australia found little evidence that teenagers actually abandoned social media as a result of the ban.
Similar developments are also beginning to emerge in Australia’s neighbouring country. The New Zealand government this week said it would introduce draft rules that would allow technology companies, including Meta, to be fined up to 10% of their global revenue if they fail to meet child protection requirements on social media.
The rebound in children’s social media activity in Australia shows that age-based bans face challenges in implementation. Children can find loopholes to access restricted platforms, while platforms not covered by the ban could become alternatives.