The Australian government’s ban on social media for users under 16 shows limited effect, with researchers and regulators reporting widespread continued access by adolescents.A study published in the British Medical Journal found no immediate substantive reductions in platform use, and the eSafety Commission survey found about 70 percent of parents reporting that their children keep active accounts while other studies put access above 85 percent.Tech companies such as
TikTok,
Instagram and
YouTube face fines up to A$49.5M ($30M) for failing to exclude underage users, but researchers say minors commonly bypass restrictions using older accounts, family credentials or private browsers.