More than 60% of Australian children still using social media despite ban for under-16s, research shows
A majority of Australian children still use restricted social media apps despite the ban for under-16s, major new polling of young people shows.
Three in five (61%) Australian 12-15 year-olds who had accounts on restricted platforms before the ban came into force still have access to one or more accounts. Major platforms have retained a majority of their child users, with 53% of previous TikTok users, 53% of YouTube users and 52% of Instagram users still able to access an account on these platforms.
The first major polling of 1,050 children aged 12-15 was conducted by Molly Rose Foundation and YouthInsight, Australia’s largest online youth panel.
Molly Rose Foundation warns this data raises major question marks about the effectiveness of Australia’s social media ban, and that given the findings it would be a ‘high stakes gamble’ for the UK to follow suit at this stage.
Today we warn that Australia’s ban is failing to act as the urgent and decisive firebreak that proponents of a ban have suggested. Instead, it risks offering parents a false sense of safety and risks letting tech firms off the hook for safety failings.
The research shows that in a majority of cases platforms have failed to identify and remove under-16 accounts, meaning that most children haven’t had to proactively use workarounds.
Two-thirds (64%) of continuing YouTube users, 61% of Snapchat users, and 60% of both Instagram and TikTok users, said platforms had taken ‘no action’ to remove or deactivate an account they had before restrictions.
Half of children (51%) who used restricted platforms prior to the ban coming into force say it has made no change to their online safety, while worryingly, one in seven (14%) say the ban has made them feel less safe.
We’re urging Government to follow the evidence which shows an Australia-style ban won’t deliver the immediate improvements in safety that parents and children demand and deserve. We are instead calling on the Prime Minister to commit to a new Online Safety Act in the King’s Speech and take action off the back of its ongoing consultation into children’s online safety.
Andy Burrows, Chief Executive of Molly Rose Foundation, said: “These results raise major questions about the effectiveness of Australia’s social media ban and show it would be a high stakes gamble for the UK to follow suit now.
“Parents and children deserve better than a flawed ban that delivers a false sense of safety that quickly unravels.
“Proponents of a ban argue that it offers an immediate and decisive firebreak, but the early evidence from Australia shows it only lets tech firms off the hook and fails to give children the step change in online safety and wellbeing they need.
“The quickest and most decisive means to protect children is stronger regulation that finally calls time on egregious product safety failures, with a commitment to a new Online Safety Act in the upcoming King’s Speech.”
Ian Russell, Chair of Molly Rose Foundation, said: “Parents are united that change is needed to protect children from appalling harm online and it is crucial we see effective action that delivers the safety and wellbeing improvements we are crying out for.
“The Prime Minister is right that tackling addictive and dangerous design choices is key. He must now put words into action with strengthened regulation that cuts to the heart of business models that put profit over safety.
“Keir Starmer has the chance to make the UK a world leader in online safety by following the evidence with robust new laws that give parents what they are rightly demanding.
“The cost is too high to get this wrong by rushing into an Australia-style ban that offers the perception of security but is letting children down in practice.”
The ban appears to be having little decisive impact on children’s wellbeing, with two-fifths (42%) who used restricted platforms prior to the ban coming into force reporting it had not had any impact on their lives. A third (32%) said it had a negative impact with less (22%) saying the impact had been positive.
The UK Government is currently consulting on children’s social media safety with a wide range of options available to them, including cracking down on addictive and dangerous design features.
We are calling for swift action off the back of the consultation to tackle addictive and dangerous design features on social media, gaming and AI platforms.
We want this backed up by a new Online Safety Act which implements a Duty of Care on tech companies, focuses on harm reduction and rebalances power dynamics to hold some of the largest and most wealthy global companies to account.