The aim of the study is to examine the early effects of Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age Act 2024. This law is the first of its kind worldwide and establishes a minimum age of 16 for using or creating accounts on certain social media platforms. In addition, the study seeks to describe how adolescents use the platforms covered by the law, what experiences they have with age verification procedures, and whether and how they attempt to circumvent them. It also investigates whether there is any displacement or substitution of social media use to other platforms or digital services.
Results
Follow-up data were available for 408 adolescents (aged 12–17 years).
More than 85% of participants under the age of 16 reported continuing to use social media platforms covered by the law, predominantly via their own accounts (approximately 54–68%). Among these, 66% reported being exposed to age verification procedures, most commonly through self-declared age (24–39%) or uploading a photo (“selfie”) (13–27%).
Attempts to circumvent the restrictions were also reported, including the use of “fake” accounts (15–19%) or access via private browsers (6–11%).
Only minor changes in usage behaviour were observed:
- Daily use remained stable among 12–13-year-olds
- It decreased slightly among 14–15-year-olds (from 78% to 69%)
- It increased among those aged over 16 (from 80% to 89%)
Daily time spent on social media also remained largely stable, with a slight decrease among 14–15-year-olds.
Statistically, no clear discontinuity or significant effect of the Act was found (p ≥ 0.60).
The full study is available for download below.