When Australia's Social Media Minimum Age Act took effect on 10 December 2025, it was the first law of its kind anywhere in the world: platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X and Snapchat were legally required to identify and deactivate accounts belonging to anyone under 16, facing fines reported at up to roughly A$50 million for systemic non-compliance.
Eight months on, Australia's eSafety Commissioner has published the first wave of results from a two-year study tracking more than 4,100 children and families — and the picture is far messier than either supporters or critics of the ban predicted.
What Actually Changed
The share of under-16s holding an account on an age-restricted platform did fall, from 52.4% before the ban to 42.1% three months in. But access is a different story: 81.5% of under-16s reported still finding their way onto an age-restricted platform in some form — barely down from before the law existed. Around a third of those who had an account said it had been deactivated at some point, while daily social media use among the age group dropped only slightly, from around 60% to roughly 58%.
Where the Traffic Went Instead
Perhaps the most telling finding: usage did not simply disappear, it moved. Platforms not initially covered by strict enforcement — including Threads and Kick — saw their under-16 user share rise, in one case more than tripling from a small base. Researchers reviewing the rollout separately noted that current age-verification methods remain, in their words, comparatively easy to circumvent.
The law's stated goal was partly to free up time for offline life — sport, music, seeing friends in person. So far, the regulator's own data shows little measurable change in any of those activities.
Why the Rest of the World Is Watching Anyway
None of this has slowed international interest. Norway, Indonesia, Brazil and the UK are all reported to be examining similar age-based restrictions, even as evidence mounts that determined teenagers find workarounds. Separately, US courts have found Meta liable for youth-harm claims in 2026 litigation resulting in close to a billion dollars in penalties so far — a reminder that the pressure on platforms is coming from multiple directions at once, not just one law in one country.
For YNC's readers, many of whom are the exact age this law targets, the honest summary is this: the ban has changed where and how younger teens use social media more than it has changed whether they use it at all — and regulators everywhere are now watching Australia's results before deciding whether to copy its approach.