News

For immediate release

September 21, 2026

Contact: [email protected]

Washington, D.C. – Australia became the first country in the world to bar under-16s from holding social media accounts. Seven months in, a majority of Australian parents say the decision should have been theirs to make; teens report spending more time on apps the ban doesn’t cover, and teens are twice as likely to say the ban has made finding community harder rather than easier, according to a new nationally representative online poll of Australian teens and parents commissioned by Center Forward and conducted by Ipsos. The findings come as lawmakers in Washington and across the states weigh similar proposals to restrict teens’ access to social media.

• Parents want to make this call themselves — and many already are. A clear majority of parents (63%) say they should get to decide whether teens use social media, instead of a universal ban on social media. Among parents whose teen was on social media before the ban, 33% say they have already helped their teen keep access — by sharing an account or setting up a new one — and another 29% say they would consider it if their teen asked.
• Teens migrated to apps the ban doesn’t affect. Nearly three-quarters of teens (73%) say they now spend more time than they did before the ban on at least one app it doesn’t cover — most often Roblox (50%), Pinterest (31%) and Steam (27%). More than four in ten report spending more time post-ban playing video games (43%) or watching videos and shows on streaming apps (41%). Parents see the same shift: given the choice, roughly two-thirds (63%) say the ban has not reduced teens’ screen time because that time moved to other platforms.
• Many teens say the ban has made it harder to find community and access information. When asked whether the ban has made it easier, harder, or not impacted their ability to do various activities, Australian teens are twice as likely to say the ban has made things harder vs. easier, with the largest gaps observed for finding community (38% harder vs. 16% easier) and staying up-to-date on current events (37% vs. 16%). And these differences are even more acute among those teens who do not report using social media post-ban.

Cori Kramer, CEO of Center Forward, said: “As the U.S. moves forward with proposals in this space, it’s important we learn from those who have already taken similar steps. Parents want the authority, and the tools, to decide what’s right for their family.”

A potential lesson the U.S. could learn from Australia is that a blanket ban isn’t getting kids off social media. It has moved them onto apps the ban doesn’t cover and made it harder for some teens to find community and valued information. As lawmakers in Washington and the states weigh similar measures, the poll offers valuable insight into how these bans affect parents and teens.

The full memo can be found here.

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Center Forward brings together members of Congress, not-for-profits, academic experts, trade associations, corporations, and unions to put aside the partisan bickering that has gridlocked Washington and find common ground. Center Forward gives centrist allies the information they need to craft common-sense solutions to the serious issues facing the country and provides them with the support they need to turn those ideas into results. 

Survey Methodology:Center Forward commissioned Ipsos to conduct two nationally representative online surveys in Australia between July 9–24, 2026 — the first, among 750 teens aged 13–15 who used social media before the ban took effect, and the second among 1,000 parents or guardians of at least one teen aged 13–15. Results among teens have a credibility interval of ±4.4 percentage points, and results among parents have a credibility interval of ±3.8 percentage points.

To learn more about Center Forward, visit www.center-forward.org or click here to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.