Nearly 80% of Australian adults support the government’s social media ban for children under 16, according to a new Monash University survey released as the legislation took effect in December.
The survey, funded by the Australian Research Council and conducted by Roy Morgan, polled 1,598 Australian adults and found 79% backed the ban. Support varied across age groups, with 18–24-year-olds showing the lowest approval at 72%. In contrast, 80% of those aged 50–64 supported the measure, rising to 87% among Australians aged 65 and older.
Professor Mark Andrejevic, who leads the research team that commissioned the survey, said the ban targets platforms that have drawn criticism for their impact on young people.
“This ban targets a handful of powerful, overseas platforms that profit from tracking young users to capture their attention and pepper them with ads,” Andrejevic said. “These apps are flooded with loosely regulated ads and have scaled back fact-checking just as misinformation surges. They are using increasingly powerful algorithms to determine how best to capture and exploit young people’s attention. It’s a timely intervention in an increasingly unregulated digital environment.”
The findings revealed bipartisan support across political affiliations. Those identifying with the Nationals showed the highest approval at 88%, followed by Liberal Party supporters at 85%, and Labor supporters at 82%. Greens supporters backed the ban at 71%, while Libertarian Party identifiers showed the lowest support at 52%.
Concerns over manipulation and misinformation grow
Supporters cited concerns about manipulation of young people whose brains are not fully developed, mental health issues, bullying, exposure to extremist content, misinformation, and grooming by sexual predators.
Those opposing the ban raised concerns about state interference with parental responsibility, censorship, effectiveness, and depriving young people of the benefits of online social interaction and information. Some also worried about marginalised communities losing access to like-minded people online.
Andrejevic dismissed criticism that the ban prevents platforms from demonstrating better behaviour, calling such expectations unrealistic.
“This is a big ask for a system that channels untold wealth to those who have cracked the formula for filling our feeds with whatever is most likely to provide a quick dopamine hit, regardless of accuracy, civility or democracy,” Andrejevic said. “Unlike other media institutions, these platforms are not in the business of taking responsibility for the content they circulate. The platforms do not care about the wellbeing of our children or our democracy, that is up to us.”
Australia’s ban has attracted global attention, with the United States considering similar legislation through the bipartisan Kids Off Social Media Act.