20% of Australian Teens Still Using TikTok, Snapchat Despite Social Media Ban

New data reveals that one in five Australian teenagers under 16 continue accessing TikTok and Snapchat two months after the country implemented its social media ban. The findings raise questions about how effectively platforms are enforcing age restrictions to comply with the groundbreaking legislation.

Recent data from Australia shows that approximately 20% of teenagers under 16 are still accessing popular social media platforms two months after the nation implemented its comprehensive ban on minors using these services.

According to research from parental control software company Qustodio, usage among 13-to-15-year-olds on TikTok and Snapchat has decreased since the ban took effect in December, but significant numbers of young users remain active on these platforms through February.

This information represents some of the earliest evidence of how young people’s online habits have changed since Australia launched its pioneering social media restrictions, which other nations worldwide are now considering adopting. While the Australian government and multiple university research teams are monitoring the ban’s effectiveness, no official data has been released yet.

“Among children whose parents haven’t blocked access, a meaningful number continue to use restricted platforms in the months following the ban,” Qustodio stated in their report, which analyzed information gathered from Australian families between late 2024 and February.

The legislation requires major platforms such as Meta’s Instagram, Facebook and Threads, along with Google’s YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat, to prevent users under 16 from accessing their services or face penalties reaching A$49.5 million (approximately $35 million).

Australia’s internet regulator, the eSafety Commissioner, has indicated that platforms will receive time to adjust their systems and that enforcement actions will focus on widespread violations rather than individual cases.

Neither the eSafety Commissioner nor the Communications Minister provided immediate responses to requests for comment. Snapchat representatives were unavailable for comment, while TikTok spokespersons chose not to respond.

The research data revealed that Snapchat usage among 13-15-year-old Australians dropped by 13.8 percentage points to 20.3% between November and February. TikTok usage in the same age group declined by 5.7 percentage points to 21.2%.

YouTube usage among this demographic decreased by just one percentage point to 36.9%, though the data didn’t distinguish between logged-in account usage and anonymous browsing. Australia’s ban permits unrestricted YouTube access for users who don’t sign into accounts.

While Australian teen social media activity typically decreases during December and January due to extended summer school holidays, this year’s decline was more pronounced than the previous year, indicating the ban’s influence, according to Qustodio.

However, the report noted that “some dips seen in December-January are slowly beginning to recover.”

Concerns that teenagers might shift to unmonitored platforms haven’t proven accurate based on the data, though WhatsApp did see a slight increase in usage among 13-15-year-olds.