By Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson

More young Australians support the government’s social media ban for under-16s than oppose it, a study has found, even though they remain concerned about missing out on information, news and social connections. 

But tweens and teens directly affected by the ban are the least likely to support it, with more than half opposing the world-first measure introduced in December 2025.

Educational technology provider Year13 released the findings on Thursday from a survey of more than 1000 young people aged between 12 and 24 years.

It comes one week after the eSafety Commission flagged five of the 10 age-restricted platforms in its first compliance report into the ban, warning they might not have taken sufficient steps to prevent young children from holding accounts.

The Year13 study, called More Than Social, asked 1077 young Australians about the social media restrictions three months after their introduction.

Almost half of all participants (47 per cent) supported the minimum age rule, and close to two in three considered the ban effective (62 per cent).

By contrast, more than one in three (38 per cent) called the policy ineffective and 31 per cent opposed the restriction.

The widespread support was somewhat unexpected, Year13 co-chief executive Will Stubley said, though it showed that members of Gen Z and Gen Alpha were carefully considering all aspects of social media.

“I was surprised more students support (the ban) than not, but thinking about our audience and how we interact with young people, it makes sense because it is this double-edged sword,” he said.

“There’s so many things they like but there’s also a general awareness that there are some things that are probably not good for them.”

Opposition to the ban was strongest among those directly affected by it, with just more than half of those aged between 12 and 15 expressing their disapproval.

The greatest concerns about the ban were losing touch with friends, staying socially connected and accessing information, the study found, although positives included getting more sleep, and improving safety and body image.

While it could be too soon to fully assess its impact, Mr Stubley said the ban’s greatest success could be raising awareness about online platforms.

“Whether the ban is working from a technology standpoint is one thing but the healthy thing is the discussion that’s been created,” he told AAP.

“As a way to get the conversation started, it’s been super effective.”

The eSafety Commission found 4.7 million accounts had been removed or restricted in the ban’s first three months, but also identified poor practices including failing to provide ways to report underage users and prevent new accounts being created.

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