Australia’s social media minimum age law is already reducing youth usage on major platforms, but new data suggests enforcement gaps remain. Two months after the rules took effect, more than one in five Australian teens aged 13 to 15 were still using TikTok and Snapchat, highlighting the limits of current age assurance systems.
TL;DR
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Qustodio data shows 20.3% of Australian teens aged 13 to 15 still used Snapchat in February, while 21.2% still used TikTok.
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Australia’s rules took effect on December 10, 2025 and require platforms to take reasonable steps to stop under-16s from holding accounts.
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Platforms can face fines of up to A$49.5 million for non-compliance, while children and parents do not face penalties.
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Regulators say they are actively assessing compliance and engaging with platforms and age assurance providers.
The figures come from parental control software company Qustodio, whose report was shared with Reuters. According to the dataset, Snapchat use among Australian 13 to 15-year-olds fell by 13.8 percentage points between November and February, landing at 20.3%. TikTok use fell by 5.7 percentage points to 21.2% over the same period.
That suggests the law is having some impact, but not enough to fully block underage access. Qustodio said that, among children whose parents had not blocked access, a meaningful number continued to use restricted platforms in the months following the rollout.
The broader policy, often described as Australia’s teen social media ban, came into force on December 10, 2025. Under the law, age-restricted social media platforms must take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under 16 from having accounts. The burden sits on platforms, not on children or parents, and penalties can reach A$49.5 million if companies fail to comply.
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has made clear that the measure is not a blanket internet ban, but a delay on account access for under-16s. The regulator also notes that online gaming and standalone messaging apps are excluded under the legislative rules, though some messaging services with social-style features may still fall within scope.
A spokesperson for the eSafety Commissioner that some under-16s remained on social media and was actively engaging with platforms and their age assurance providers, while monitoring for systemic failures that could amount to a breach of the law. The office added that it was drawing on a range of insights to assess compliance.
The Australian government has also signaled that the transition will not be immediate. A spokesperson for Communications Minister Anika Wells said the government had always been clear that raising the minimum age for social media access was a cultural change that would take time.
There are other early signals worth watching. YouTube usage among the same age group dipped only slightly to 36.9%, although the data did not specify whether users were logged into accounts. The law still allows people of all ages to use YouTube without signing in. Qustodio also said fears of mass migration to unregulated platforms had not materialized so far, although WhatsApp recorded a small increase in use.
For now, Australia’s world-first model is showing both progress and friction. Usage is down, but not eliminated, which means the next phase of the law will likely hinge on how well platforms strengthen age checks without undermining privacy or usability.
