Australia's Social Media Ban For Under-16s Has Had Limited Impact So Far

Australia’s first study on the under-16 social media ban found a drop in minors’ account ownership, but only a small decline in actual use of restricted platforms.

Some children shifted to other services such as Pinterest rather than leaving social media entirely.

Use of AI chatbots did not change significantly.

The early findings suggest age limits can reduce formal access, but may have a limited effect on real-world exposure.