Australia’s landmark restrictions on social media access for users under the age of 16 have had only a limited early impact on adolescent usage, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Newcastle (UON).
The study found that more than 85 per cent of under-16 users continued to access platforms covered by the restrictions, often through their own accounts as well as alternative, shared or borrowed accounts, the university said in a statement on Thursday.
Researchers tracked 408 adolescents aged between 12 and 17 before and three months after the implementation of the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024. The legislation, which came into effect in December 2025, requires major platforms including TikTok, X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat to take reasonable steps to prevent underage users from holding accounts.
According to the study, published in the British Medical Journal, around two-thirds of participants reported encountering age-verification measures, most commonly self-declared age checks and photo-based verification systems.
“There was also clear evidence of circumvention — for example, using fake accounts or accounts belonging to friends or family,” said lead investigator Courtney Barnes, a public health researcher at UON.
The findings showed that between 15 per cent and 19 per cent of adolescents used fake accounts to access restricted platforms. Meanwhile, between 9 per cent and 29 per cent reported using accounts belonging to other individuals, while up to 11 per cent said they relied on private browser modes to bypass restrictions.
Despite the new measures, overall social media usage patterns remained largely unchanged. Daily use stayed stable among adolescents aged 12-13, declined slightly among those aged 14-15, and increased among users older than 16.
“This is one of the first evaluations of its kind, which is important because other countries are watching Australia closely,” Barnes said, adding that the findings offer an early snapshot of how the policy is being implemented.
Australia’s social media ban for under-16s has attracted significant international attention. Countries including the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Greece, Norway and Turkey have since moved to introduce or strengthen similar measures aimed at regulating children’s and teenagers’ access to social media platforms.
Co-author Professor Luke Wolfenden, a behavioural scientist at UON, said the long-term effectiveness of the policy would depend on how consistently and rigorously age-verification systems are enforced.
The researchers noted that the full impact of the legislation may take years to become clear and stressed the importance of continued long-term evaluation.
(With IANS inputs)
