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It’s six months since the young people’s social media ban was applied. So how’s it going?

SBS News in Depth

By Allan Lee Published 13 June 2026 7:30am

It’s been six months since the ban on social media took effect in Australia for children under the age of 16. Since then, a growing number of countries have been taking steps to follow suit. Experts point to the ban’s positive effects, but what do the teenagers think?

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UK planning to ban social media for kids under 16

It took Cruz Condren about a week to lose his Snapchat account, and a few seconds to get it back. “It asked me to verify my age by a camera,” says the 14-year-old from the Gold Coast. “I just asked my mum to scan her face because she’s over 18. It just let me back on.” Six months after Australia became the first country to ban under 16s from social media, Cruz’s workaround – performed with his mother’s blessing – is the kind of evidence now being weighed in London, Brussels and Ottawa as governments decide whether to copy Australia’s experiment or learn from its mistakes.

Australia banned under-16s from social media. The world is split on whether to follow

It took Cruz Condren about a week to lose his Snapchat account, and a few seconds to get it back. “It asked me to verify my age by a camera,” says the 14-year-old from the Gold Coast. “I just asked my mum to scan her face because she’s over 18. It just let me back on.” Six months after Australia became the first country to ban under 16s from social media, Cruz’s workaround – performed with his mother’s blessing – is the kind of evidence now being weighed in London, Brussels and Ottawa as governments decide whether to copy Australia’s experiment or learn from its mistakes.

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Social Media Bans For Teens Are Rising Worldwide, But Do They Really Work?

Governments are racing to rein in children’s access to social media as alarm grows over its impact on young minds. Australia’s world-first under-16 ban – the toughest yet – is already showing cracks, with teens easily bypassing restrictions. India is exploring similar curbs in the world’s second-largest smartphone market, where a surge in young users – and low digital literacy – makes enforcement difficult.