Australia's teen social media ban shows little impact after eight months

Australia's ambitious policy to curb social media use among teenagers under 16 has yielded little visible change eight months after its introduction, prompting questions about its effectiveness and the government's urgency in promoting it.

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It was outrageous that the Coalition and the Greens had voted to scrutinise proposed reforms to social media minimum age law at an inquiry.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recently expressed frustration over parliamentary scrutiny of proposed amendments to the law, calling it "outrageous" that reforms had been sent for inquiry. This urgency contrasts with the policy's slow progress, especially since Albanese had declared it a "success" just a week before its implementation.

Initial findings from the eSafety Commissioner reveal that social media use among teens has barely decreased, with 81.5 percent still using platforms after the ban, a marginal drop from 85.9 percent prior. While a 20 percent reduction in teen accounts was noted, the law's current wording does not prevent logged-out usage. The study also found no significant changes in teens' offline activities, internet use, or overall well-being, nor any reduction in parental stress.

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Most teens (81.5 per cent) were still using social media after the ban, down just a few percentage points from 85.9 per cent before the ban.

Adding to the concerns, the eSafety Commissioner acknowledged an increase in messaging and gaming use, activities excluded from the ban. These platforms, while not strictly social media, still detract from the government's stated goal of encouraging more physical activities. Experts suggest that the full impact of such a policy may take three to five years to materialize, leaving the current "positive case" for the ban resting on the hope that it might still work if implemented more effectively.

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Well, we haven't actually done it properly yet so it still might work out.