(SeaPRwire) – By: Adrian Kingsley
The chorus declaring Australia’s 2025 social media age law a failure is deeply misinformed. Six months after the rule took effect on December 10, critics claim the policy flopped because under-16 platform use only fell partially. They argue age limits can never work, and that nations eyeing similar rules should scrap their plans. But this framing ignores the law’s core goals, and the tangible progress already underway.
Let’s start with the hard, unvarnished data. The law required 10 major platforms—Facebook, Kick, Reddit, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, Instagram, Snapchat, X, and YouTube—to verify user ages and remove under-16 accounts. In the first months, the platforms deleted 4.7 million accounts belonging to an estimated 2.5 million Australian kids aged 8 to 15. Early studies show use and account ownership fell between 9% and 40%. The wide range of results isn’t a sign of failure, though. It comes down to how each study measures success. A Getty Images photo of Sydney Harbour Bridge illuminated for the law’s launch captures the scale of this pioneering rule.
Some studies count raw access, not account-based use. The law was never designed to block kids from seeing social media content. It was meant to stop them from signing binding terms of service, which exposes them to targeted harm. That includes late-night notifications, anonymous stranger interactions, public photo posts, like-count pressure, and addictive algorithmic feeds. Qustodio data shows this clearly: Snapchat use by 13-15 year olds dropped 40%, while YouTube use fell just 3%. YouTube doesn’t require an account for most content. A YouGov survey one month post-launch found three in five Australians thought the ban worked. Sixty-one percent of parents of under-16 kids reported at least two positive changes, like more in-person socializing.
Enforcement and cultural shift will only strengthen this framework over time. The Australian eSafety Commissioner is building cases against platforms that didn’t take reasonable compliance steps. The government also doubled noncompliance fines to push better action. Over the next few years, the norm of no social media accounts before 16 will become standard, not rare. Kids won’t feel pressured to sign up to fit in, and schools will stop using social media for class updates. Thirteen countries including Indonesia, Canada, Malaysia, the UAE, France, Spain, and the UK are already moving to copy Australia’s rule. The only legitimate unresolved concern is privacy: verifying ages could require sensitive ID, a hurdle every government will need to solve as it adopts similar policies. This law isn’t perfect, but it’s a blueprint the world should adopt, not dismiss.
Author bio: Adrian Kingsley, an internationally renowned public administration and social policy scholar.