Australia’s social media minimum age legislation restricts individuals under 16 years from holding accounts on specified social media platforms. Prior to the new restrictions taking place, this study surveyed 382 high school students in Australia aged 11–15 years to understand their attitudes and planned responses to the social media restrictions. One in five (21.8%) young people said they would continue to use the restricted platforms, and 60.7 percent thought other young people would do so. Of those who said they would use restricted platforms, most either did not yet know how they would do so (43.6%) or planned to give a fake age (39.7%), while 2.6 percent said they would use a VPN. Boys, older children and those who spent more time online were more likely to say they would use restricted platforms.
References
URLs correct as at August 2026
Barnes C et al. 2026. Assessing early effects of Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age Act on adolescents’ social media use: Observational study. BMJ. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2026-363695
Bursztyn L et al. 2026. Why bans fail: Tipping points and Australia’s social media ban. https://bfi.uchicago.edu/working-papers/why-bans-fail-tipping-points-and-australias-social-media-ban/
Cahill H et al. 2023. A social network analysis and implementation study of an intervention designed to advance social and emotional learning and respectful relationships in secondary schools. Research report 07/2023. Sydney: Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety. https://www.anrows.org.au/publication/respectful-relationships-research-report/
Edwards A 2025. ‘Let kids be kids’: B&T research reveals 68% of parents support social media ban. B&T. https://www.bandt.com.au/let-kids-be-kids-bt-research-reveals-68-of-parents-support-social-media-ban/
eSafety Commissioner 2026. Under the new age restrictions: Early insights from Australian parents. Canberra: eSafety Commissioner. https://www.esafety.gov.au/research/under-the-new-age-restrictions-early-insights-from-australian-parents
eSafety Commissioner 2025a. Digital use and risk: Online platform engagement among children aged 10 to 15. Canberra: Australian Government. https://www.esafety.gov.au/research/the-online-experiences-of-children-in-australia/report-digital-use-and-risk-among-children-aged-10-to-15
eSafety Commissioner 2025b. Social media age restrictions and your family. https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/social-media-age-restrictions
Family Online Safety Institute 2025. Majority of parents support under-16 social media ban, but kids worry about lost connections. https://fosi.org/majority-of-parents-support-under-16-social-media-ban-but-kids-worry-about-lost-connections/
Horwood S, Torjinski M, Hemmings SA & Jarman HK 2026. (Dis)connected: Youth and parental expectations of Australia’s social media ban. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2026.2695938
Kohli C 2025. How will platforms monitor VPN usage when under-16 social media ban begins in Australia? https://www.medianama.com/2025/12/223-vpn-detection-australia-esafety-guidelines-under-16-social-media-ban/
Milmo D 2025. Will other countries follow Australia’s social media ban for under-16s? The Guardian, 13 December. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/13/will-other-countries-follow-australia-social-media-ban-under-16s
Molly Rose Foundation 2026. Australia’s social media ban – is it working? Research briefing, April 2026. https://mollyrosefoundation.org/resource/australias-social-media-ban-is-it-working-research-briefing/
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children 2024. Online enticement: An analysis of missing children and youth 2020–2023. https://www.missingkids.org/theissues/onlineenticement
Newman LH & Burgess M 2025. Age verification laws send VPN use soaring—and threaten the open internet. Wired, 29 July. https://www.wired.com/story/vpn-use-spike-age-verification-laws-uk/
Osman K et al. 2025. Young Australians’ perspectives on the social media minimum age legislation. Brisbane: Digital Media Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology. https://doi.org/10.60836/TR30-9X03
Wolbers H et al. 2025. Sexual extortion of Australian adolescents: Results from a national survey. Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 712. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. https://doi.org/10.52922/ti77819
Wrightson-Hester A, Voce I, Napier S, Morgan A & McVey L forthcoming. Parents’ willingness to circumvent Australia’s social media minimum age legislation. Statistical Bulletin no. 53. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology