Majority of Australian youth still use social media despite ban, researchers find

New research finds a majority of Australian children under 16 continue to use major social media platforms despite a December ban, with 61% of 12–15-year-olds reporting they can still access accounts. The Molly Rose Foundation says the results expose enforcement gaps and urges the UK to strengthen the Online Safety Act with a systemic Duty of Care rather than relying on a flawed ban. #MollyRoseFoundation #OnlineSafetyAct

Keypoints

A majority of Australian children under 16 still access social media despite the December ban.
Sixty-one percent of 12–15-year-olds reported they can use accounts as before the ban.
TikTok and YouTube retained 53% of previous youth users, and Instagram retained 52%.
Researchers say platforms often failed to identify and remove underage accounts, allowing access without workarounds.
The Molly Rose Foundation urges updating the Online Safety Act to include a systemic Duty of Care and stronger enforcement, while several European governments pursue similar youth access restrictions.