Over 60% of underage Australians Still Using Social Media Despite Ban, Research Suggests

More than 60% of underage Australians are still using social media despite the country's world-first ban introduced four months ago, new research suggests.

In the first major study of its kind since the ban came into force, 12 to 15-year-olds in the country were found to still be using restricted platforms.

Three in five who had accounts on restricted platforms before December, including TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, still had access to one or more of their accounts.

The research suggests 53% of child users on TikTok, 53% on YouTube and 52% of Instagram users were still able to access accounts on the platform.

Sky News has contacted the platforms for comment.

The research was conducted online between 12 March and 31 March and commissioned by the Molly Rose Foundation (MRF), which has spoken out against a proposed similar ban in the UK, and YouthInsight, which has access to Australia's largest online youth panel.

Two-thirds of continuing YouTube users, 61% of Snapchat users, and 60% of both Instagram and TikTok users told researchers the platforms had taken "no action" to remove or deactivate an account they had before restrictions.

Half of the children who used restricted platforms prior to the ban coming into force say it has made no change to their online safety, while one in seven say the ban has made them feel less safe.

Despite these new figures, Australian adults recently reported a more positive story.

YouGov polling in March suggested 61% of parents of children aged 16 and under saw between two and four positive behavioural changes following the ban, including more in-person social interactions, improved parent-child relationships and children being more present and engaged during interactions.

However, two in five parents observed between two and four negative impacts, including increased digital inequality, a shift to alternative or less regulated platforms and a reduction in social connection.

The UK government is currently consulting the public on whether to implement a similar ban of its own or to take other action around online harm.

The consultation is still ongoing, with results expected in the summer, however the chief executive of MRF, Andy Burrows, argued this new research "raises major questions about the effectiveness" of a ban.

"Parents and children deserve better than a flawed ban that delivers a false sense of safety that quickly unravels," Mr Burrows added.

"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."

Instead, the charity wants the UK government to strengthen regulation around tech firms and social media to protect young people online - a viewpoint echoed by the UK's largest children's charity, the NSPCC and other major organisations.

Australia's legislation means tech companies now have a legal duty to stop under-16s using their platforms at scale.

If they fail to do so, they could face fines of up to $49.5m (£25m) for failing to comply.

A month after the restrictions came into force, Meta said it had already blocked 550,000 accounts from its platforms but still had "concerns about determining age online without an industry standard".

In the UK, there's widespread support for greater protection for young people online, and a December poll by YouGov showed a majority of UK adults supported a social media ban for under-16s.

There are already numerous countries planning to follow Australia's example, with Greece becoming the latest to announce it would ban under-15s from social media in the country.

On the same day, Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wrote to the head of the European Commission asking for EU-wide legislation to block young people from social media.