Eight months after Australia’s ban, teen TikTok use is down one percentage point
Usage among 10 to 12 year-olds is higher than before the ban, and WhatsApp, which is not covered, has surged.
August 26, 2026 – 7:14 am
TikTok app
Credit: Solen Feyissa
Eight months into the world’s first under-16 social media ban, 26% of Australian children aged 13 to 15 are still using TikTok, one percentage point below where the figure sat before the law took effect.
These findings come from Qustodio, a parental control software maker, highlighting that the ban has not been complied with as expected.
The recovery pattern is notable: usage fell sharply upon enforcement and then steadily increased, suggesting users found ways around the ban rather than changing their behavior.
"What we’ve seen is an immediate drop to a degree, but slowly but surely the numbers have started to increase again," said Yasmin London, Qustodio’s global online safety expert.
Instagram and Snapchat also show similar trends in usage recovery.
The most concerning finding is that TikTok use among children aged 10 to 12 is now higher than it was before the ban. This age group was at the heart of the legislation aimed to protect them from the platform.
Children are accessing TikTok through various methods like misstated ages, VPNs, and flawed age verification systems. The Australian government acknowledged inadequate compliance in June and doubled maximum penalties to A$99 million while strengthening enforcement powers. However, no platform has been fined yet.
These findings carry global implications as many governments await similar data. New Zealand, Norway, and the EU are considering or developing their own under-16 social media restrictions based on this approach.
Qustodio’s data, however, has a limitation: it is based on devices with parental control software, which may not be representative of all Australian children.