Most Australian teenagers continue to use social media three months after the implementation of the country's world-first ban for children under 16. A study from the eSafety Commissioner found that the share of teens using these platforms slipped only from 86% to 81%, representing a marginal reduction in underage users.
The report concluded that most teenagers have found ways to get around the restrictions. Specifically, eSafety found that most children between the ages of 10 and 15 were using social media as frequently in March as they had before the ban took effect.
These findings underscore a lack of enforcement of the landmark law by major platforms. Despite the data revealing the scale of the challenge confronting the policy, the Australian government mounted a defence of the ban on Saturday.