AUSTRALIA’S social media age restrictions are beginning to reduce the number of under-16s with social media accounts, but thousands of children are still finding ways to access platforms despite the new laws.
The first major evaluation of the Social Media Minimum Age legislation, released last week by eSafety, examined the first three months after the laws came into effect on December 10, 2025.
The study tracked more than 4000 children and families and found the reforms are already changing online behaviour and family attitudes.
The proportion of under-16s with a social media account fell from 52.4 per cent before the ban to 42.1 per cent, while overall social media use among children also declined from 85.9 per cent to 81.5 per cent.
Redbank Plains mother Suki Pang said the legislation had taken much of the pressure out of family discussions about social media.
“Before the ban, it felt like every second conversation was, ‘But everyone else has it,’ she said. “With the new rules, it takes a lot of the pressure off us as parents.”
That sentiment was reflected in the report, which found parents felt less pressure to allow their children onto social media, while fewer young people said they felt they were missing out by not having an account.
The proportion of children experiencing “fear of missing out” dropped from 43.3 per cent to 36.3 per cent.
Despite the encouraging early results, the report found many children who already had accounts before the laws began were able to keep them or create new ones, with inadequate age verification by some social media platforms identified as the biggest weakness.
eSafety said investigations into whether platforms had taken the legally required “reasonable steps” to prevent underage access were ongoing, with compliance action still under consideration. Another compliance report is expected in the coming weeks, with further findings to be revealed over the next two years.
