Australia's Under-16 Social Media Ban Is Not Working, Study Finds
A study published in Australia found that four in five minors under the age of 16 continue to use social media despite a legislated ban, according to Guardian reporting on June 24. Australia's law, which passed in late 2024, placed enforcement obligations on platforms rather than users, and the compliance gap now documented raises direct questions about whether age-verification mechanisms deployed by platforms are functioning as designed.
For media executives and platform strategists globally, Australia has functioned as the lead jurisdiction testing whether legislative age restrictions on social platforms are enforceable in practice. The gap between the law's intent and its measurable outcome is now a primary exhibit in debates playing out in the UK, the EU, and several US states, where similar frameworks are under active consideration.