Australia’s new ban on social media for under-16s should be judge on much more than whether adolescents stay offline, researchers say.
Experts from Flinders University say success of the policy should be measured by its impact on young people’s mental health, school performance, digital literacy, and how they spend their time outside of social media.
They also warn that restricting access may have limited impact unless social media platforms themselves are required to build safer environments to prevent young users from accessing harmful content.
Australia introduced a world-first policy in December last year, preventing children under 16 from holding accounts on major social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok , X and YouTube.
While supporters argue the policy will protect young people from harmful content and excessive screen use, critics have raised concerns about enforcement challenges and privacy issues.
In new commentary published in the journal The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, experts outline key considerations for evaluation of the legislation and ensuring it delivers long-term benefits for young people.
– including the need for alternative safe and secure avenues to reach and communicate with this demographic outside popular social media channels.
Professor Bridianne O’Dea , Flinders University Little Heroes Professor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the Flinders Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing (FIMHWell), says researchers are working to assess the policy’s real-world effects.
“We shouldn’t only be asking whether teenagers are using social media less,” says Professor O’Dea. “We also need to understand what changes in their lives as a result.
“Are they sleeping better? Are their friendships developing? Are there improvements in their mental health and wellbeing?”
Flinders University experts in emerging technologies, Professor Daniel King and Dr Marcela Radunz are leading South Australia’s evaluation of the ban – and directly asking young people about how the ban is affecting them.
“Monitoring the success of the ban is critical, because other countries are looking to introduce similar legislation,” says Dr Radunz, a research fellow in clinical psychology.
“Careful evaluation will help us understand what works, what doesn’t, and how to reduce potential harms through additional evidence-based strategies.”
The researchers also warn that the ban may create new challenges for organisations that use social media to reach young people, including mental health services and research studies.
“The social media age restriction creates an opportunity to establish broader standards for digital platforms that could benefit all users,” they say.
“Social media has become one of the main ways researchers and support services connect with teenagers,” says Professor O’Dea.
“Access changes to social media means we need new ways to reach young people and make sure their voices are still heard.”
Professor O’Dea says the policy creates an opportunity to develop new systems for involving adolescents in research, such as a national research registry for young people.
“Adolescents are often under-represented in research, yet the policies being developed directly affect them,” she says.
“This could be the time to build better ways of engaging teens and ensuring their perspectives shape future policy and services.”
The articles – ‘ How Australia's social media minimum age law may reshape research recruitment for adolescents under 16’ by B O’Dea, I McKenzie and M Torok (DOI: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2026.101822) and ‘ Beyond the debate: toward pragmatic evaluation of Australia's social media age restrictions’ by MWR Stevens, M Radunz, O Király, MD Griffiths, P Delfabbro, Z Demetrovics, A Czakó and DL King (DOI: 10.1016/j.lanwpc.2026.101818) – were published in The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific (March 2026).
Acknowledgements: The work is supported by National Health and Medical Research Council Medical Research Future Fund Investigator Grant (MRF1197249 and GNT2007731) and the Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation.
The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific
Commentary/editorial
People
Beyond the debate: toward pragmatic evaluation of Australia's social media age restrictions
21-Feb-2026