Australia considers tougher enforcement of social media ban for teens

Australia’s prime minister said on Friday that the government is seeking to strengthen the country’s under-16 social media ban as new research suggests the policy has had limited impact on teen usage since its rollout six months ago.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government will “stress-test” the law, which prohibits platforms such as Meta Platforms from allowing users under 16 to hold accounts on services including Instagram, as well as Google’s YouTube.

“What we want to do is to make sure that the laws are as strong as possible and that they will withstand any legal challenges which are made,” Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

He said a key priority would be ensuring that the eSafety Commission has sufficient authority and resources to enforce the rules effectively.

The government’s move comes as Australia’s landmark policy continues to draw global attention, with several countries exploring similar restrictions amid growing concern over youth mental health and online safety. In the United Kingdom, officials have recently proposed broader measures that could extend restrictions to include gaming and live-streaming platforms.

Regulators and Communications Minister Anika Wells have indicated they are preparing legal action against multiple platforms that could face fines of up to A$49.5 million if found to have systematically failed to comply with the ban.

Meanwhile, Reddit has launched a High Court challenge against the legislation, which remains in its early legal stages.

Although the ban took effect last December and initially appeared to deactivate millions of accounts, follow-up reports and parental feedback suggest that overall teen social media usage has changed little.

A study published in the British Medical Journal found that 85% of Australians aged 12 to 15 were still using social media three months after the ban was implemented, based on a survey of 408 adolescents.

The study also found that two-thirds of underage users continued accessing platforms by self-declaring false ages or uploading selfies that systems accepted as proof they were over 16.

“Despite the intent of the ban to delay access to social media platforms and reduce the potential for online harms, little evidence was found of immediate substantive reductions in reported social media use by adolescents,” the paper said.

Australia’s approach is being closely watched internationally as governments weigh similar policies aimed at protecting children online. -Reporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Edwina Gibbs/Reuters