Three months in, Australians say social media ban is working - but only just

Australians are beginning to see early signs of impact from the country’s under-16 social media ban, though most believe it is still too early to judge its long-term success.

New research from YouGov suggests public sentiment has shifted, albeit cautiously, in favour of the policy roughly three months after its introduction.

Prior to the ban, more than three in four Australian adults (77%) said they were concerned about risks children face online, including cyberbullying, harmful content and mental health impacts. Now, three in five Australians (59%) say they believe the ban has been effective so far.

However, the findings suggest the policy remains very much a work in progress.

An overwhelming 97% of respondents said stronger evidence will be needed to properly assess the ban’s impact, while 95% believe the policy will require further refinement.

SEE MORE: Five million teen accounts vanish as social media ban bites

Among parents of children aged 16 and under, behavioural changes are already emerging.

Four in 10 parents (43%) said their children are now spending more time socialising in person, while 38% reported children being more engaged during conversations and family interactions. A similar proportion also said the ban had improved parent-child relationships.

But the shift has also produced unintended consequences. Two in five parents reported negative impacts, including a migration towards alternative or less regulated platforms and concerns about digital inequality.

The research also highlights a significant trust gap between governments and technology companies.

Nearly two-thirds of Australians (63%) say they trust the federal government to act in children’s best interests when regulating social media. By contrast, only 35% say they trust technology platforms to do the same.

The findings suggest Australians increasingly see online safety as a shared responsibility between governments, parents and technology companies.

Almost half of Australians (49%) believe parents should carry the primary responsibility for protecting children online, while 45% of parents with children under 16 say the same.

However, many respondents also believe the policy will need stronger enforcement to achieve its goals.

More than half support stricter age verification requirements for platforms, while 58% want stronger regulation of technology companies.

While it's still early days, the research suggests the social media ban has begun to shift behaviour among younger users. Long-term effectiveness, however, will depend on how the policy evolves - and how platforms respond.