Despite mixed reports on the efficacy and impact of the ban, 82% of Australian adults support restricting access to social media for kids, including 51% who strongly support it, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted between March 30 and April 13, 2026.
How Australia Enacted the First-of-Its-Kind Law
On Dec. 10, 2025, Australia enacted a first-of-its-kind law to restrict children’s access to social media. The legislation requires platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat to verify the ages of all account holders and remove accounts belonging to children under 16 years old.
Since the survey was fielded in the spring of 2026, the Australian government has strengthened the framework. Authorities doubled the maximum fine for social media companies that fail to comply with the age restrictions.
Global momentum follows this policy shift. Brazil became the first Latin American country to implement similar restrictions in March 2026, requiring parental consent for accounts held by children under 16. Indonesia began rolling out comparable rules that same month, while the European Commissioner has pledged a bloc-wide ban for children under 13.
Age, Demographics, and Digital Habits Shape Public Support
Australians’ high overall backing for the restrictions varies significantly across demographic lines. Pew Research Center reported that older Australians show the strongest enthusiasm, with 89% of adults 65 and older supporting the rules, including 68% registering strong support.
In contrast, young adults show the least support. About seven-in-ten Australians ages 18 to 29 back the restrictions, divided roughly evenly between strong and mild support.
Digital habits also influence public opinion. Light users of social media support bans more than heavy users do. Ninety percent of Australians who use social media less often back the restrictions, compared with 79% of daily users.
Views among parents mirror the broader population. There is no measurable difference in opinion between adults with and without children under 16, as 82% of both groups support the policy. However, mothers of children under 16 show stronger support than fathers do, and parents of children age 10 and under back the restrictions more than those with kids ages 11 to 15.
Political Alignment and Views on Democracy
Broader ideological views and perceptions of technology shape where Australians stand on the restrictions. Women overall express more support for the bans than men do.
Voters who do not identify with Australia’s current governing party, Labor, show higher levels of support than those aligned with it. Pew Research Center also found that 87% of adults who believe social media has been a bad thing for Australian democracy support the limits, compared with 76% of those who view it as a good thing.
Perceptions of social division follow a similar trend. Among Australians who say social media has made people more divided, 83% support restrictions, compared with 69% of those who believe platforms have made people less divided.
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