What the Australian Social Media Ban can Teach the UK 

We’re nearly five months into Australia’s landmark social media ban for under-16s, but cracks are already beginning to show. As the UK consultation continues and trials begin, there are important lessons to learn, says Tim Levy, Australia-based Managing Director of global digital safeguarding company Qoria, the parent company of Smoothwall in the UK. 

Social media bans are gaining traction around the world. Greece has announced plans to implement a ban for under-15s, while France, Spain, Denmark and Poland are all considering similar legislation. In the UK, consultation on a ban for under-16s is well underway, alongside trials of digital curfews and other measures designed to protect young people from online harms. 

In Australia, however, the experience so far highlights the risks of poor implementation. While the legislation was initially seen as a turning point, its impact has been limited – serving instead as a cautionary example of how well-intentioned policy can fall short. 

Children are being driven to darker parts of the web 

Australian children are finding ways of avoiding the ban en masse by using risky technologies and moving to darker parts of the internet to circumvent restrictions.  

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has conceded that they have “not observed a notable change in the number of cyberbullying and image-based abuse complaints involving age-restricted accounts across the platforms in January and February 2026 when compared to the same period in 2025” – a damning indictment.  

Meanwhile, data released by social media companies does not support Australian Communication minister Anika Wells’ claim that 5 million under-16s’ social media accounts have been shut down. 

At Qoria, we work with further education institutions, colleges and schools every day to prevent online harm, and we are seeing this shift in real time. While a social media ban may appear to offer a straightforward solution, in practice it risks pushing young people into even less safe spaces. 

Adults need to engage with change  

Perhaps most concerning is that many parents and educators still believe the ban is working. According to YouGov, 59% of Australian adults say it has been effective so far. 

If parents have effectively outsourced their children’s online safety to an ineffective policy – and do not yet recognise that risks remain unchanged – the consequences could be significant, particularly in the short term. 

For any UK policy to succeed, education and engagement will be critical. Teachers, parents and young people themselves must be supported to remain vigilant and actively involved in online safety. 

Platform-level checks don’t work 

Enforcement of the Australian ban relies on platform-level age verification, which can be easily bypassed by young users entering false information. 

Meta, Snap Inc (who run Snapchat), and even Aylo, the owner of Pornhub, have flagged to the Australian government that this approach isn’t working, and suggested that protecting young people at device level – installing age restricting technology into phones and tablets themselves – would be more effective.  

There is evidence this approach can work. In 2025, California Governor Gavin Newson introduced laws to codify device-based methods to set and enforce maturity, with early signs of success. 

If the UK chooses to implement a ban, placing enforcement at the device level may prove the most practical and effective option. 

The UK is a world leader in this area – implementation needs to be smooth 

The UK is already a global leader in safeguarding within education, thanks to the Department for Education’s Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) framework. This guidance is widely adopted across further education institutions, colleges and schools. 

It is internationally recognised for its pragmatic approach and the close collaboration between government, industry and educators that underpins it. 

If the UK can bring this same collaborative and practical mindset to social media regulation, it stands a strong chance of delivering an effective policy – one that avoids many of the pitfalls seen in Australia.

By Tim Levy, CEO of Qoria