Australian Law & Teenagers: Instagram & TikTok Disruption

Ban social media for under-16s: Australia has done it. But a month after the law came into force, the real effectiveness of the measure is questionable. The country of 27 million inhabitants has at least transformed into a laboratory since the implementation, on December 10, 2025, of the Online Safety Amendment, intended to prevent adolescents under the age of 16 from accessing social networks and in particular TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, X, Twitch, YouTube, Reddit and Threads. A law which has been strongly welcomed, particularly by parents.

A month after it came into force, the Australian Prime Minister declared that 4.7 million accounts belonging to teenagers under 16 have been deactivated or deleted (all platforms combined). “We cannot flout this law,” declared Anthony Albanese on Sky News in December. Some young people, who have not yet been banned from social networks, publish messages to brag about it. This allows the platforms to identify them, and their content will therefore be deleted.”

In early February 2026, Snapchat announced that 415,000 Australian accounts had been blocked.

An easy ban to circumvent?

However, behind these promising figures, the technical implementation seems to have several flaws.

“We still have access to social networks, without limitation because it didn’t really work. A lot of people had created fake accounts, just in case”, immediately shares Léane, 15, who lives in Sydney, and who, like most of her friends, has not received notifications from the applications on her phone to leave them.

Since December, it has been up to the platforms to identify and deactivate the accounts of users under the age of 16 and to verify their age during a new attempt to create an account. Age verification can be done through two options: sending a selfie analyzed by an AI responsible for estimating the user’s age or providing an official ID with a legible date of birth.

Technical limits which give rise to numerous criticisms.

Loss of connection with friends

“Snapchat was automatically blocked because they recognized that I was under 16,” says Ned, 14, living in the state of Victoria. Although he can still access other social networks, he particularly misses this one: “It wasn’t really a social network for me, but a way to talk to my friends.” Above all, he regrets the loss of a tool which allowed him to stay in touch with around thirty friends. The reform came into force just before the long school holidays at the end of the year, which last five to six weeks in Australia.

For him, the law above all reveals a gap between adult decision-makers and young people. “During Covid, social networks made it possible to keep in touch when we could no longer see each other.” Supported by his parents, Ned assumes his position: “Each generation grew up with its own tools. Social networks are ours”.

Just like Ned, Ariane, also 14 years old, recalls that her generation “mainly uses TikTok and Snapchat to talk to each other” rather than to publish content or follow personalities. The teenager was able to re-register by indicating a date of birth making her appear to be an adult and thus continues to use Snapchat. “Everyone uses Snapchat. We don’t even have each other’s numbers,” says Léane.

Each generation grew up with their own tools. Social networks are ours

Some have fallen back on WhatsApp, one of the rare messaging services not affected by the ban.

Since the use of social networks starts earlier and earlier, these adolescents highlight a major problem: this ban comes too late. The law therefore acts at a time when practices are already firmly established. At 16, these habits are already firmly established. And for some, it’s hard to let go.

Another teenager says a friend scanned one of her parents’ passports to regain access. “16 is a little late, because you can drive, be independent… I think that banning social networks is a good idea, but for those under 14,” explains Léane.

Parents torn, between relief and skepticism

Despite the scale of this reform and its international impact, the subject remains little discussed in educational establishments. “At school, they just asked us how we felt,” the teenager shares.

Samira, a French mother living in Sydney, recognizes the limits of this law which acts as “a protective framework”, but is not enough. “We need pedagogy, digital education, alternatives. Protecting children does not mean holding them back. It means giving them time to become who they are, without pressure.” She particularly regrets the lack of communication with the school system: “We thought that schools would play a key role in supporting this law. For the moment, that has not really materialized.”

When contacted by email, the French high school in Sydney refused to answer our questions.

On the parents’ side, reactions are mixed. Solveig, mother of Léane, maintains “that at 12 or 13 years old, there are things that we do not need to see, images that can negatively influence adolescents” and that this new stage is beneficial.

I saw less irritability [chez ma fille]more presence, more conversations

Ariane has already had numerous discussions with her parents who implored her “to be careful on social networks”. According to his mother, Caroline, these are now daily. The latter had a lot of hope in this project, but also said she was disappointed: “With this law, it is now no longer just difficult parents who set limits, it is also the law. I suspected that this law would not be respected 100%, but I did not think that it would be so ineffective.”

The forty-year-old uses parental control tools on her daughter’s phone, but considers them “complex”. Knowing that her daughter continues to use certain platforms, she wants to highlight a positive point linked to the use of social networks: her daughter’s groups of friends “are more united than at [son] era”. Especially since the family moved to Australia, social networks have allowed Ariane to stay in touch with her friends in France.

Samira, for her part, perceives a change in her daughter, who applies the law, in agreement with her parents: “I saw less irritability, more presence, more conversations”. At 13, Arianna recognizes that now that she no longer uses social networks, she interacts more “in real life”, with simpler and more sincere relationships.

“Lost” a few weeks ago due to the lack of information around the application of the law, she now understands why it was introduced and says she has rather changed. “I feel calmer, less stressed, and I concentrate more on what I like to do. I notice that the networks took up a lot of space in my day,” adds the teenager.

A model for France?

What will young French people who could experience the same ban in a few months?

After adoption by the National Assembly, the bill will soon be examined by the Senate and could come into force as early as September 2026 following an accelerated procedure desired by Emmanuel Macron. “France, a pioneer since 2018 in the regulation of platforms, continues to be so today by becoming the first country in Europe to join this path,” argues the head of state, who has since announced to Brut that ways to verify the age of users will be announced by the summer.

Many countries, including Denmark and Malaysia, hope to establish the same ban soon.