Australia: Modest Decline in Children’s Social Media Accounts Under New Age-Ban Law, Three-Month Review Shows

CANBERRA — Australia’s social media minimum age (SMMA) law has led to only a modest decline in social media use among children in its first three months, according to a review released Friday by the government’s eSafety Commissioner.
The report found that the proportion of children under 16 holding social media accounts fell from 52.4% to 42.1% since the law took effect on December 10, 2025. The legislation bars minors from holding social media accounts on major platforms.
Overall social media use among under-16s — regardless of whether they held an account — also saw a slight decline, dropping from 85.9% to 81.5% over the same period. The review noted some positive shifts in family dynamics as well, including a reduction in children’s “fear of missing out” (FOMO).
However, the agency said the majority of underage users who held accounts before the law came into force were still able to retain them or create new ones three months later, attributing this to platforms’ failure to implement effective age-verification measures.
The eSafety Commissioner added that complex investigations into platform compliance with the law are still ongoing.