Offline.now editorial, reviewed by Eli Singer. Reviewed November 11, 2026.
Australia’s social media ban for under-16s took effect on December 10, 2025. A year later, it is being read two ways. Supporters point to ten percentage points fewer children holding accounts. Critics point to the eight in ten who still use the apps. Both readings rest on the same data. This page sets out what the regulator found, what independent researchers found, what nobody can measure yet, and which countries are next. It offers no verdict.
Underneath the policy sits a family question, and it is the same in Sydney, Toronto and Leeds. A law sets a floor for platforms. A household still decides its own evenings. The Offline.now Matrix is a self-reflection framework that maps your motivation to change your phone habits against your confidence that you can, and sorts the result into four types, each with its own starting place. If the coverage has you second-guessing the phones in your own house, yours included, you may be Overwhelmed. Overwhelmed means high motivation and low confidence, so you genuinely want to change, and what you’ve tried hasn’t stuck. Lasting change runs on confidence, not willpower.
Offline.now is a directory of therapists and coaches who work on screen and phone use, and the home of the Offline.now Matrix, a two-question self-reflection framework that finds your starting place. This page reports what the Australian regulator and independent researchers have published. It takes no position on the policy.
Did Australia’s social media ban work?
It depends on what you count. The eSafety Commissioner’s own evaluation, published July 31, 2026, gives two numbers. Among children aged 10 to 15, the share holding a social media account fell from 52.4% before the law to 42.1% three months after. The share using at least one restricted platform, with or without an account, fell from 85.9% to 81.5%. Accounts dropped by about a fifth. Use dropped by about four points.
The regulator points to age checks. Many children who had accounts before December 10 kept them or opened new ones, because platform checks missed them. The law also restricts accounts only. A 14-year-old can still open YouTube in a browser, logged out, and scroll.
What does the social media age limit require?
The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 puts the duty on platforms. From December 10, 2025, an age-restricted platform must take reasonable steps to stop Australians under 16 from holding an account. The maximum penalty for a platform that fails is A$49.5 million. Children and parents face no penalty. There is no parental-consent exception, so a parent cannot sign a form to let a 13-year-old keep Instagram.
The regulator keeps the list of covered services. At the time of writing it includes Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Snapchat, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit, Kick and Twitch. Messaging, gaming and services built mainly for education or health are exempt. The list can change as services are reassessed, so eSafety’s page is the one to trust.
What has a year of data shown?
Five pieces of evidence are out. They differ in emphasis and agree on the pattern: fewer accounts, nearly as much use.
| Who | When | Who was asked | What it found |
|---|---|---|---|
| eSafety Commissioner, first compliance figures | January 16, 2026 | Platform reports under legal notice | About 4.7 million under-16 accounts removed, deactivated or restricted in the first half of December |
| eSafety Commissioner, compliance update | March 31, 2026 | Platform reports and a pulse survey of 898 parents and carers of children aged 8 to 15 | Over 310,000 more accounts blocked by early March; parents reported the share of children with an account falling from 49.7% to 31.3%, with a substantial share keeping theirs; investigations opened into Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube |
| Molly Rose Foundation with YouthInsight | April 13, 2026 | 1,050 Australians aged 12 to 15, surveyed in March | 61% of those who had accounts before the ban still had access to at least one; 14% said the ban made them feel less safe |
| Barnes and colleagues (2026), BMJ | June 24, 2026 | 408 adolescents aged 12 to 16, surveyed before the law and three months after | More than 85% of under-16s still used restricted platforms; 54% to 68% through their own accounts; daily use among 14 and 15-year-olds fell from 78% to 69%; no jump at the age-16 line |
| eSafety Commissioner, “Early days, early insights” | July 31, 2026 | 4,121 children and families at baseline; 803 children aged 10 to 15 analyzed at three months | Account ownership 52.4% to 42.1%; platform use 85.9% to 81.5%; the share who felt peers without accounts were missing out fell from 43.3% to 36.3% |
Two notes on reading the table. The BMJ study is the only peer-reviewed test so far. Barnes and colleagues compared teenagers just under 16 with those just over, and found no jump at the cut-off. Working age checks would have produced one. The eSafety evaluation is the largest, and it is the regulator assessing its own policy. Stanford University’s Social Media Lab is the academic partner, and the two-year protocol was published in advance.
Every study here covers the first three to four months. Twelve-month figures have not been published, and the anniversary is when the next numbers are likely to land.
What does each side say the data shows?
The government’s case: ownership fell by a fifth in three months, even with weak enforcement. The platforms carry the duty, and the five named in March are under investigation, so the gaps are theirs to close. The norm has shifted too, since fewer children now think a classmate without an account is missing out.
The critics’ case: eight in ten under-16s still use the apps, so the central promise is unmet. Age checks are the weak point, and they are weak everywhere, so other countries should expect the same. Some teenagers lose spaces where they found support, and 14% in the Molly Rose Foundation survey said they felt less safe. Two constitutional challenges, one from the Digital Freedom Project and one from Reddit, went before the High Court in November 2026. Some groups that favor regulation, including the Molly Rose Foundation in the UK, argue that rules on platform design would do more than an age line.
Both cases use the same two numbers. Which one persuades you depends on whether the goal was fewer accounts or less time in the feed.
Which countries are next for an under-16 social media ban?
The UK and Canada are following Australia. Statuses below were checked on November 5, 2026, and because bills change, the government page is the record.
| Country | Status on Nov 5, 2026 | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | In force since December 10, 2025 | Accounts on ten listed platforms for under-16s; platform duty, fines up to A$49.5 million |
| United Kingdom | Announced June 15, 2026; start date March 2027 per the Culture Secretary in September | Under-16 accounts on major platforms, built on the Online Safety Act’s age checks; livestreaming and stranger contact off by default for 16 and 17-year-olds; an under-18 rule for AI companion chatbots |
| Canada | Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, tabled June 10, 2026 and before the House of Commons | A minimum account age of 16 for regulated social media services, with exemptions for platforms that show adequate safeguards; a new Digital Safety Commission |
| Indonesia and Malaysia | Indonesia enforcing since March 2026; Malaysia since June 1, 2026 | Under-16 accounts on platforms each government treats as high risk; details on each government’s page |
Bill C-34 is the Canadian search term rising fastest. Earlier Parliaments used the same number for other bills. The one that matters is the 45th Parliament’s Safe Social Media Act, and LEGISinfo tracks its progress. The UK government has said it wants a version that is harder to get around than Australia’s.
What can a family do while the law plays out?
Shape the evening, which no age law reaches. In Australia, accounts are partly off the table and the logged-out feed is still there. In Canada and the UK, a ban is a year or more away.
Three things hold under any law. The first is the device. A first phone chosen for a kid’s age can skip the browser entirely, which closes the logged-out feed. The second is the numbers in your own house, and average screen time for teens shows where the hours go. The third is the rules, and the ones that survive an argument are in phone rules that hold for teenagers.
If following the debate has left you with a knot of phone stress about your own habits, start with those. If you want a different way to change your screen habits, one with no shame and no judgment, Offline.now was built for you.
Start with the two questions at offline.now/start. They take about a minute and sort you into one of four types, each with its own starting place. The Find Your Starting Place worksheet does the same thing on paper: one page, free to download, no email required. After the quiz, the Offline.now Program is the next step. Use it on the web and by email, with no download. There is no streak to lose and no password to remember.
Every family is different. Use what fits and consider professional support if conflict or distress feels severe. If a teenager’s mood or sleep has changed, or the phone has become the daily fight, it may be time for outside support. The Offline.now directory lists therapists and coaches who work on family screen conflict.
Frequently asked questions
When did Australia’s social media ban start?
December 10, 2025. The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 passed in November 2024 and gave platforms a year to prepare.
Which platforms are covered by the Australian ban?
At last check, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Snapchat, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit, Kick and Twitch. Messaging apps, gaming platforms and services built mainly for education or health are exempt. The eSafety Commissioner keeps the current list.
Do social media bans work?
In Australia’s first months, the ban cut accounts and barely cut use. Account ownership among 10 to 15-year-olds fell from 52.4% to 42.1%. Use of at least one restricted platform fell from 85.9% to 81.5%. Longer-term effects on well-being have not been measured yet.
When does the UK social media ban start?
March 2027, according to the Culture Secretary in September 2026. The policy was announced on June 15, 2026, and builds on the age checks already required under the Online Safety Act.
What is Bill C-34?
Canada’s Safe Social Media Act, tabled June 10, 2026. It would set a minimum age of 16 for accounts on regulated social media services, with exemptions for platforms that show adequate safeguards. It would also create a Digital Safety Commission. It is before Parliament and is not yet law.
Where do I start?
With the phones in your own house, which no law reaches. Two questions at offline.now/start, about a minute in all, point you to one of four types and a first step. The Find Your Starting Place worksheet does the same thing on paper, free to download, no email required.
Offline.now provides coaching-oriented guidance, not diagnosis or medical advice. If digital habits are creating significant distress, working with a qualified practitioner is a strong next step. The Offline.now expert directory is a good place to start.
Curious about the data?
Barnes, C., Hall, A., Mantach, S., Oldmeadow, C., Attia, J., Backholer, K., Williams, C., Tefera, Y., Kay, F., and Wolfenden, L. (2026). Assessing early effects of Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age Act on adolescents’ social media use: observational study. BMJ, 393, e363695. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2026-363695
eSafety Commissioner (2026, July 31). Early days, early insights: Understanding experiences of social media age restrictions at the three-month follow-up. esafety.gov.au
eSafety Commissioner (2026, March 31). Social Media Minimum Age: Compliance update. esafety.gov.au
eSafety Commissioner (2026, January 16). Platforms restrict access to 4.7 million under-16 accounts across Australia. esafety.gov.au
Molly Rose Foundation (2026, April). Australia’s social media ban: is it working? Research briefing with YouthInsight, 1,050 Australians aged 12 to 15. mollyrosefoundation.org
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, UK (2026, June 15). Social media to be banned for under-16s in landmark government move to give kids their childhood back. gov.uk
Associated Press (2026, November 3). Australia’s highest court hears challenges to social media ban for children. news4jax.com
Campaign Asia (2026, June). Malaysia enforces social media ban for children under 16. campaignasia.com
Parliament of Canada (2026). Bill C-34, An Act to enact the Digital Safety Act and the Digital Safety Commission of Canada Act (Safe Social Media Act), 45th Parliament, 1st Session. parl.ca
