{"id":16605,"date":"2025-12-14T22:28:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-14T22:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/australian-teens-still-accessing-social-media-amid-new-bans\/"},"modified":"2025-12-14T22:28:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-14T22:28:00","slug":"australian-teens-still-accessing-social-media-amid-new-bans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/australian-teens-still-accessing-social-media-amid-new-bans\/","title":{"rendered":"#\n                Australian Teens Still Accessing Social Media Amid New Bans"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/australian-teens-still-accessing-social-media-amid-new-bans\/#Australian_Teens_Still_Accessing_Social_Media_Amid_New_Bans\" >Australian Teens Still Accessing Social Media Amid New Bans<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Australian_Teens_Still_Accessing_Social_Media_Amid_New_Bans\"><\/span>\n                Australian Teens Still Accessing Social Media Amid New Bans<br \/>\n            <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech\">\n    <button class=\"text-to-speech__button button\"><br \/>\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"text-to-speech__button__icon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.socialmediatoday.com\/static\/img\/play.svg?500116090725\" alt=\"\"\/><br \/>\n        Listen to the article<br \/>\n        <span class=\"text-to-speech__button__audio-length\">3 min<\/span><br \/>\n    <\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech__controls\">\n        <audio controls=\"\" class=\"js-text-to-speech\" preload=\"none\"><source src=\"https:\/\/text-to-speech.divecdn.com\/newspost\/807854\/2025-12-15_09.13.44\/australian-teens-still-accessing-social-media-amid-new-bans.wav\" type=\"audio\/mp3\"><\/source><\/audio><\/p>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech__controls__text\">\n            This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback.\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>It\u2019s been a few days since the Australian under-16 social media ban was enacted, and the world is watching on, waiting to see the data on just how effective Australia\u2019s approach will be, with many other regions also considering similar restrictions on young users.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>So, what\u2019s the word thus far?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Well, being in Australia, and being a parent of two teens who are directly impacted by the change, I can tell you that not much has changed. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Sure, some youngsters are being locked out of some accounts, but others have been unaffected, while they\u2019ve also established workarounds and different approaches to keep in touch. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>It hasn\u2019t been a total blackout of young teens, as many had expected.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>The Australian government has <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/politics\/federal\/as-teens-flee-to-new-apps-to-avoid-social-media-ban-wells-says-she-ll-ban-those-too-20251202-p5nk8a.html\" style=\"color:#0563c1\">acknowledged this<\/a>, noting that <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span><span>\u201cthere will still be kids with [social media] accounts on 10 December, and probably for some time after that\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>But over time, the government believes that the threat of heavy fines (up to $50 million) for violations will see platforms crack down on young teen usage, and stop under-16s from accessing most apps.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>As per Australian Communications Minister <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smh.com.au\/politics\/federal\/as-teens-flee-to-new-apps-to-avoid-social-media-ban-wells-says-she-ll-ban-those-too-20251202-p5nk8a.html\" style=\"color:#0563c1\">Anika Wells<\/a>:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><em><span><span><span>\u201cThe government recognizes that age assurance may require several days or even weeks to complete fairly and accurately. However, if eSafety identifies systemic breaches of the law, the platforms will face fines.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>So it may be too early to expect any real impacts, but even so, the early mail is that the approach is probably not going to be as effective as initially hoped.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>The main problem here is that social media is now such a significant element of modern-day connection that you can\u2019t expect kids to not use it. The counterargument the Australian government has put forward on this is that kids also want to try alcohol, and making that illegal has had a huge impact. But social media is different, in that it does link kids to information, to entertainment, and the negatives, while also concerning, are also circumstantial, in that some users will find it highly valuable, and others will be impacted in negative ways. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Which is why a blanket ban likely isn\u2019t the best approach, unlike alcohol, which has universal health impacts. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>That\u2019s part of the argument that Reddit\u2019s using to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/clykk2yrl9ko\" style=\"color:#0563c1\">challenge the Australian government\u2019s under-16 social media ban in the High Court<\/a>, while a couple of Australian teenagers themselves have also <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.monash.edu\/law\/research\/centres\/castancentre\/public-events\/news\/2025\/under-16-social-media-ban\" style=\"color:#0563c1\">mounted their own High Court challenge<\/a>, on the basis that the ban <\/span><\/span><\/span><span><span><span>is unconstitutional, because it interferes with free political communication.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Both cases could raise compelling evidence that counters the government\u2019s stance, given that there are conflicting reports on the impacts of social media use, and it\u2019ll be interesting to see how the court rules on each. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>But really, a better alternative, as pitched by many academics, and the platforms themselves, is more digital literacy education, which accepts the valuable role that social media now plays in modern life, and aims to ensure greater understanding of how to manage your time and experience, and avoid harm. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Because whether it\u2019s when they\u2019re 14 or 16, kids are going to be faced with the same issues at some stage. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>The Australian government says that it\u2019s also aware of a surge in downloads in alternative social media apps in response to the restrictions, and it\u2019s monitoring the activity on these platforms for potential expanded action. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Social Media<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.socialmediatoday.com\/news\/australian-teens-still-accessing-social-media-amid-new-bans\/807854\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Australian Teens Still Accessing Social Media Amid New Bans Listen to the article 3 min This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. It\u2019s been a few days since the Australian under-16 social media ban was enacted, and the world is watching on, waiting to see the data on just how&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16606,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/imgproxy.divecdn.com\/6JfDJ73mfV2owdq8yhMnrfITu3xWGej0UbMKnsdjTnI\/g:ce\/rs:fit:770:435\/Z3M6Ly9kaXZlc2l0ZS1zdG9yYWdlL2RpdmVpbWFnZS9hdXN0cmFsaWFuX2ZsYWcucG5n.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1456],"class_list":["post-16605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-media","tag-social-media-updates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16605"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16605\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}