Australia defends under-16 social media ban despite widespread teen use

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia's government has defended its world-first ban on social media for children under the age of 16, despite new data showing that the majority of teenagers continue to use social media months after the restrictions took effect.

The government's response came after the country's internet regulator reported that more than eight in ten Australian teenagers were still using social media three months after the ban was introduced, highlighting the challenges of enforcing the landmark policy.

Australia implemented the ban in December over concerns about the impact of social media on children's mental and physical health. The legislation, which is being closely watched by governments around the world, has faced criticism from major social media companies, most of which are based in the United States.

Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury Andrew Leigh said the ban had already changed the national conversation among parents about children's online safety.

"The ban has been an important game changer in the conversation among parents," Leigh said, adding that millions of social media accounts had been shut down since the restrictions came into force.

Leigh acknowledged that complete compliance was never expected, comparing the law to minimum drinking age regulations, which also do not achieve perfect compliance but remain necessary.

However, the latest eSafety study found that children aged 10 to 15 were using social media just as frequently in March as they had before the ban took effect on December 10. The report also found that parental awareness of their children's online activities had declined.

The findings broadly mirrored data released by eSafety in March, three months before the centre-left Labor government announced plans to strengthen enforcement, including doubling the maximum penalties for technology companies that fail to comply with the law.