Most Kids Under 16 Still Using Social Media Despite Ban

Despite the federal government’s world-first ban on social media for kids under 16, most young Australians are still online, a new report from the eSafety Commission has found.

According to the report, a whopping 80% of kids aged 8 to 12 and 95% of teens aged 13 to 15 were active on at least one social media platform last year. Platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and TikTok still have hundreds of thousands of underage users, despite efforts to keep them out.

So how are kids getting around the ban? More than half (54%) access social media through a parent or carer’s account, while 36% have their own account. The ban, introduced in November, relies on users truthfully declaring their age—but as the report points out, that system just isn’t working.

Different platforms use different methods to check ages, from AI-driven estimates to language analysis. But the report found no standard approach, with some platforms making serious efforts while others do very little. Reddit, for example, doesn’t even collect age data at sign-up—it simply trusts users to be honest.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant is calling for stronger, industry-wide rules to protect kids online. “Social media companies must do more, but they can’t do it alone,” she said. “Parents, educators, and policymakers all have a role to play in creating safer digital spaces.”

For now, it’s clear that the ban isn’t enough to keep kids off social media. The question is—what’s next?