Org Report

More Than 60% of Australian Children Still Using Social Media Despite Under-16 Ban, Research Shows

Apr 2026 🇬🇧 🇦🇺 Molly Rose Foundation

This April 2026 Molly Rose Foundation research release reports survey findings on Australia's ban on social media accounts for under-16s, which took effect in December 2025. The foundation says roughly six in ten Australian 12-to-15-year-olds who held accounts before the ban still had access to platforms including TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram afterward, and that most of those continuing users said the platforms took no visible action to remove their accounts; about half said the ban made no difference to their online safety, and some said they felt less safe than before. Ian Russell, the foundation's founder and chair, said in the release that parents remain united in wanting change to protect children from serious online harm. TechKids Foundation cites this as documented cross-national research informing the UK's own debate over age-based social media restrictions, presented here in the foundation's own association-language terms.

~61% retained access

The foundation's research found roughly six in ten Australian 12–15-year-olds with pre-ban accounts still had access to restricted platforms after the ban took effect.

51% saw no change; 14% felt less safe

About half of continuing young users said the ban made no difference to their online safety, and 14% said they felt less safe.

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CITATION

Molly Rose Foundation. "More than 60% of Australian children still using social media despite ban for under-16s, research shows." 13 April 2026. https://mollyrosefoundation.org/more-than-60-of-australian-children-still-using-social-media-despite-ban-for-under-16s-research-shows/

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