One month after Australia’s unprecedented federal ban on social media use for children under sixteen came into effect, early evidence from teenagers and families suggests a nuanced picture of impact, with some reporting positive changes in daily life and others finding ways to circumvent the restrictions.

The law, which commenced on December ten, 2025, under the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024, prohibits minors under sixteen from holding accounts on major platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X and YouTube, and empowers regulators to impose fines of up to forty-nine point five million Australian dollars on companies that fail to take reasonable steps to enforce age limits.

The Australian government introduced the policy in an effort to address concerns about youth mental health, online bullying and exposure to harmful content, making it the first law of its kind globally.

For some teenagers, the impact has been tangible.

A fourteen-year-old described feeling “free” from constant phone checking and noted changes in routines and social habits now that social media accounts are inaccessible, suggesting a potential reduction in digital dependency among certain users.

Others, however, and their families, report that clever workarounds have already emerged.

Some under-sixteen users have accessed platforms through alternative accounts, borrowed devices or virtual private networks that make their traffic appear to originate outside Australia, raising questions about the law’s immediate effectiveness in fully curbing access.

Anecdotes include teens adjusting age information or finding less regulated apps as alternatives to the banned services.

The mixed reaction among young Australians mirrors public debate about the policy’s efficacy and broader implications.

Although widely supported by a majority of Australians during parliamentary deliberations, confidence in the ban’s effectiveness has been tempered by enforcement challenges and technological limits of age-verification systems.

Advocates for the law emphasise its protective intent and early signs of behavioural shifts among some teens, while critics underline persistent access methods and argue for more comprehensive digital literacy efforts alongside regulation.

With platforms, families and regulators continuing to adjust to the new legal landscape, observers both within and outside Australia are closely monitoring how the world-first ban will evolve and whether it will prompt similar measures internationally.