Despite the ban, Aussie teens stick to TikTok and Snapchat
Even after Australia introduced a nationwide ban on social media access for children under 16, a significant number of teenagers are still finding their way onto popular platforms.
Industry data suggests that about one in five Australian teenagers aged 13 to 15 continued using apps such as TikTok and Snapchat, two months after the restriction came into force.
The figures come from a report by parental control software company Qustodio, which analysed usage data from Australian families between late 2024 and February. The report was shared with Reuters and offers one of the earliest glimpses into how young people’s online habits may be shifting following the policy.
While the number of teenagers using these platforms has dropped since the ban took effect in December, the decline has not been absolute. According to the data, 21.2% of Australian teens aged 13 to 15 were still using TikTok, while 20.3% remained on Snapchat.
The findings have raised questions about how effective the platforms’ age-verification and access-control systems really are.
“Among children whose parents haven’t blocked access, a meaningful number continue to use restricted platforms in the months following the ban,” Qustodio said in its report.
Australia’s new law requires major platforms — including Meta’s Instagram, Facebook and Threads, Google’s YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat — to prevent users under the age of 16 from accessing their services. Companies that fail to comply could face fines of up to A$49.5 million.
The country’s internet regulator, the eSafety Commissioner, acknowledged reports that some teenagers remain active on social media and said it was working closely with platforms and their age-verification providers.
The regulator said it is continuing to monitor the situation and assess whether any systemic failures could amount to a breach of the law.
Communications minister Anika Wells has also previously noted that raising the minimum age for social media access represents a cultural shift that will take time to take hold.
The Qustodio data also showed that YouTube usage among Australian teenagers dipped slightly, falling by one percentage point to 36.9%, although it was unclear whether users were logged into accounts. Under the new rules, YouTube can still be accessed without logging in.
Researchers noted that social media use among Australian teens often falls during December and January due to the country’s long summer school holidays. However, the latest decline appeared steeper than in previous years, suggesting the ban may already be having some impact.
Still, the report observed that some of the declines seen during the holiday period are gradually beginning to recover.
Concerns that teenagers might shift to lesser-regulated platforms have also not materialised so far. However, WhatsApp recorded a slight increase in use among teenagers aged 13 to 15.
Source: Reuters
