Australia’s ban on social media for under-16s has had little impact on teenagers’ browsing habits, researchers said Thursday in one of the first global assessments of the pioneering measures.
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In December, Australia banned under-16s from accessing platforms including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, launching a crackdown aimed at protecting children from online harassment and “predatory algorithms.”
But there is not “sufficient evidence” to suggest that adolescents have turned away from social media as a result of these restrictions, a team of Australia-based researchers found in a peer-reviewed study published by the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
“We did not find sufficient evidence to conclude that the implementation of this law had substantial short-term effects on social media use among adolescents under the age of 16,” they wrote.
There is growing global interest in whether Australian legislation could serve as a model for reining in tech giants’ growing power.
Many countries have either adopted or are currently considering similar bans, including the United Kingdom, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates and New Zealand.
Researchers surveyed more than 400 young social media users just before the restrictions took effect and again three months later.
Little change was seen among users aged 12-13, a slight decline was seen among those aged 14-15, while an increase in usage was noted among those aged 16 and over.
Underage users circumvented restrictions by using accounts registered to older people, creating fake accounts, or logging in through private browsers.
“The findings suggest that the period immediately following the law’s entry into force was marked by limited implementation, incomplete compliance, and significant circumvention of social media restrictions. »
– Tech giants under pressure –
Tech companies face fines of up to AU$49.5 million (more than €30 million) if they fail to demonstrate that they are making significant efforts to exclude underage users.
In March, the Australian regulator threatened sanctions against TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, accused of violating the ban on social networks for under-16s in the country.
“Australia’s world-leading social media legislation is not failing. It’s the tech giants who are not respecting the law,” Communications Minister Anika Wells told reporters at the time.
“None of this is even difficult for the tech giants, who are innovative companies worth billions of dollars,” she also said.
A growing body of research suggests that excessive time spent online is harming teenagers’ well-being, and Australia’s ban has been hailed as a boon by parents tired of seeing their children glued to their phones.
Most of the affected companies have pledged to follow the law, but warned they could push teens to less regulated and more dangerous platforms.
They are solely responsible for verifying that users based in Australia are at least 16 years old.
Some say they use artificial intelligence (AI) tools that determine age from photos, and some users may choose to upload an ID.
