Creating Digitally Responsible Citizens

Understanding experiences of social media age restrictions

Three-month follow-up

The eSafety Commissioner and Stanford University's Social Media Lab and Academic Advisory Group have completed a three month evaluation and report of the effectiveness of the Social Media Age Restrictions. The report compares “baseline data” which is data collected prior to the implementation of the Social Media age restrictions and “three-month follow-up survey” data collected three months after the baseline data was collected. The final survey includes data from 803 children aged 10 to 15 years, from different genders and backgrounds. 

The main findings of the data showed that there was a:

➜ 10% decrease in the number of children that held social media accounts, with many children still using social media platforms. 

➜ Only one in three children had an age restricted account shut down, with 50% of children stating that they did not need to verify their age and 37% stating they pretended their age was 16 and above to keep their accounts. 

➜ The data showed an increase in the number of children using messaging platforms and gaming platforms, at the three month point and;

➜ That children believe social media should be accessible from the age of 13 in comparison to parents who believe it should be 15. 

Overall, the report shows that there is more work to be done by the social media platforms to address the current shortcomings of the restrictions. It is recognised that positive conversations have started in Australia around the appropriate use of technology and the age at which children should be accessing social media platforms. 

Additionally, parents should be informed about the safeguarding risks associated with social media, specifically that the platforms can expose children to material they are not developmentally able to understand, process or manage. 

More information about the research can be found here.

(eSafety Commissioner, 2026)

Mrs Courtney Freebody | Leader of Learning - Digital Technology and STEM