Australia: eSafety Commissioner commenced evaluation of Social Media Minimum Age

On 26 February 2026, the eSafety Commissioner commenced an evaluation of Australia’s social media minimum age to assess implementation of the new obligation on platforms and its impacts on children. The evaluation concerns the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024, which commenced on 10 December 2025 and requires age-restricted social media platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under the age of 16 from creating or keeping an account, with preliminary estimates indicating approximately 1.194 million young people will be affected by account deactivation. The study follows 4'121 young people aged 10–16 years and their parents or caregivers over a 24-month period and includes five longitudinal survey waves, opt-in passive smartphone tracking, qualitative interviews, focus groups and diary studies, and optional linkage to administrative datasets including the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), Medicare Benefits Scheme (MBS), and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). The evaluation is led by the eSafety Research and Evaluation team in partnership with Stanford University’s Social Media Lab and an Academic Advisory Group, and received ethics approval from the Australian Institute of Family Studies Human Research Ethics Committee.