What 17,000-plus young people think about the social media ban

We surveyed more than 17,000 Australians under 16 about the federal government's upcoming social media ban. 

This is what they told us.

In total, we had 18,962 responses to our survey.

We filtered out anyone who said they were below nine years old or 16 and over, leaving us with 17,144 responses.

This is the breakdown of age groups.

Interestingly, 190 respondents said they were 67 years old, representing a quarter of the respondents aged 18 or over. Much like the viral school students' saying, six-seven, this stat is meaningless.

Of the respondents aged nine to 15, almost 80 per cent said they used social media in some capacity.

Of those who used social media, 75 per cent said they had their own account.

When it came to the platforms they used, it was a mixed bag.

YouTube was the most popular, closely followed by Roblox.

While apps such as Instagram and Snapchat will outright ban under-16s from creating accounts, both YouTube and Roblox will allow under-16s to access a "kid-friendly" version of their platforms.

YouTube has YouTube Kids, a significantly restricted version of the site, while teens will also be able to access the platform in a logged-out capacity.

Roblox has implemented new safety measures that include assigning users to one of six age groups: under nine, nine-12, 13-15, 16-17, 18-20, and 21+.

Users will be assigned to their age group using facial recognition technology, and once assigned, they will not be able to interact with people outside their own age bracket.

TikTok came in at third but was significantly lower than Roblox.

Come December 10, users will still be able to access TikTok in a logged-out capacity using their web browser on a computer; however, they will need to have an account to access TikTok's content on their phone.

Seventy-five per cent of respondents who are social media users say they do not plan to stop using it once the ban comes in.

And while 25 per cent of respondents say they will stop using social media, just 6 per cent think the ban will work.

Twenty-two per cent of social media users were unsure if the ban would be effective, while 72 per cent said they did not think it would work.

Overall, teen social media users did not support the ban.

In response to the question, "Do you think the social media ban is a good idea?", 70 per cent of respondents said no, 21 per cent were unsure, and just 9 per cent said yes.

We asked respondents to tell us how they felt about the ban.

All answers were anonymous.

Here's what they said:

"What happens to the children with mental health issues, disabilities or even living in remote areas? Social media can be the difference between having human connection and going without. Children who cannot go through school hallways without being called slurs and harassed use social media as a haven where they can find a community which provides support and understands their daily stressors." — Anonymous, 16

"I go to an online school in Adelaide, everyone here relies on social media to literally make and keep friends. The ban is created by neurotypicals for neurotypicals. I'm 16 so the ban doesn't "affect" me, however I haven't always been 16 but I have been a young person with mental health issues, I have been a young person who's been bullied and I have always and always will be a neurodivergent person who knows and has to deal with the struggle of making friends. The ban doesn't take into account ALL young Australians." — Anonymous, 16

"I think the social media ban is a good idea, but I'm not sure how effective it will be. A lot of the age verification methods proposed either seem unreliable or invasive of privacy." — Anonymous, 14

"I think that parents should be the people deciding whether their children are on social media. I also think that it's a waste of money as teenagers will find a way around it." — Anonymous, 14

"Social media platforms are valuable tools for communication, allowing students to stay connected with friends and family, especially during times when in-person interactions might be limited. It also provides opportunities for learning and self-expression, as young people can share their ideas, hobbies, and talents with a wider audience." — Anonymous, 14

"Many autistic teens, such as me, use social media to make friends. This ban will just prevent them from socialising, especially if they do not have any other means of contact. I do not think this ban will last." — Anonymous, 14

"I feel like the ban will be beneficial for teenagers' mental health. I think that it will need some getting used to but after a few weeks, it will be normal for teenagers to not have social media. My concern however is that teenagers are clever people and they may find a loophole into the new ban." — Anonymous, 13

"I feel like it's really going to help kids get off their screens and it's going to get a better state of mind for underage users and keep them safe from potential cyber-threats." — Anonymous, 11

"I feel like it's just a useless thing to do, cutting off kids who are under 16+ who have dreams of being big creators when they grow up is kinda mean, those kids have been dreaming since forever. It's useless and kinda cruel." — Anonymous, 11

"I think that they should focus on health care instead of taking kids' source of joy away. I myself use Snapchat and TikTok to create plans with my friends and I think it's just pointless and they should back off and focus on the bigger problems, or they should create boundaries." — Anonymous, 11

"I think it's really great because the girls in my grade and even younger are beginning to obsess over their looks and how their bodies look. I don't think kids should worry so much [or humans in general] about this stuff. It's snatching their girlhoods." — Anonymous, 12

"I believe the ban should be lowered to 13 years old." — Anonymous, almost 13

"It's not gonna work because people will find a way around it. The ban should be 13+ with restrictions. When you get 16+ you get less restrictions, at 18+ no restrictions." – Anonymous, 13

"It sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" – Anonymous, 11

"I feel like it won't work and they just want kids to stop saying 67, sigma, alpha, mew, skibidi toilet, rizz, and other brainrot stuff." – Anonymous, 10

"They shouldn't be banning us. They should be teaching us." – Anonymous, 10