Australian Teens Return to TikTok at 26% as Under-16 Ban Nears Pre-Crackdown Levels
Updated
Updated · Los Angeles Times · Aug 25
Australian Teens Return to TikTok at 26% as Under-16 Ban Nears Pre-Crackdown Levels
3 articles · Updated · Los Angeles Times · Aug 25
Summary
26% of Australian children aged 13 to 15 used TikTok last month, just 1 percentage point below pre-ban levels eight months after under-16 restrictions took effect, Qustodio data show.
19,000 families were tracked by the parental-control firm, which also found usage among 10- to 12-year-olds now exceeds pre-ban levels and Instagram and Snapchat have started rising again after an initial drop.
36% of 13- to 15-year-olds now use WhatsApp, up from 27% before the ban, suggesting younger users are shifting to unrestricted services as well as bypassing checks through false ages, VPNs or weak enforcement.
A$99 million is the proposed new maximum penalty after Australia said in June that platforms were not doing enough to keep under-16s off, though no company has yet been fined.
More than two dozen governments are pursuing similar curbs, making Australia a closely watched test case as regulators weigh whether age-gating rules can meaningfully limit teen social-media use.