Social Media Ban Fails to Stop Australian Teens

More than 80% of Australian teenagers were still using social media three months after the country’s ban on access for children under 16 took effect, according to the first report from a two-year study by the eSafety Commission.

The regulator found that technology companies had failed to introduce sufficiently effective age checks. Before the ban, nearly 86% of children aged 10 to 15 used at least one age-restricted platform. Three months later, the figure remained above 81%.

About 58% of teenagers reported using social media daily or more often, only slightly below the roughly 60% recorded before the ban. Although account ownership fell from 52% to 42%, most children who had accounts before the restrictions took effect were able either to keep them or create new ones.

Around half of those who retained their accounts said the platforms had not checked their age. Others said their accounts already listed them as 16 or older or that age-verification systems had wrongly assessed them as being above the age limit.

Australia introduced the ban over concerns about the effects of social media on children’s mental and physical health.

The study also found a decline in parents’ awareness of their children’s online activity, which could make it harder to identify risks or intervene early. Children’s use of messaging platforms and online games also increased.

(Reuters, lud)