Australia launches major evaluation of social media minimum age law

How is Australia’s experiment in setting a minimum age for social media use going? It’s a question many in the biometrics industry are asking – including eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, who has launched what a release calls “a comprehensive evaluation” of how the Social Media Minimum Age (SMMA) Act is working in practice, and how it is affecting children, young people and families.

The study will follow more than 4000 children and families over a period of at least two years. It is to be led by eSafety’s Research and Evaluation team in partnership with Stanford University’s Social Media Lab and an advisory group of 11 leading Australian and international experts related subjects, which will provide “independent, evidence‑based guidance across the design, analysis and implementation stages.”

A range of complementary research methods will be employed. Per the study protocol, “data collection involves longitudinal parent-child surveys, opt-in passive smartphone tracking, administrative data, qualitative interviews, focus groups and diary studies. The collected data will be linked to administrative datasets, including National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), Medicare Benefits Scheme (MBS), and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

The Social Research Centre (SRC) has been contracted to coordinate fieldwork for the evaluation, and will be engaging select subcontractors to support data collection across Australia. The SRC is owned by the Australian National University (ANU) but operates as an autonomous commercial entity.

Peer researchers from youth council to guide design

Inman Grant says the “blended approach” is intended to ensure the evaluation is rigorous, credible and grounded in real world experience – and that kids have a voice. Six members of the eSafety Youth Advisory Council, aged 14 to 23, will serve as peer researchers. “We know young people are central to the evaluation that’s why members of the eSafety Youth Council are helping shape the research and interpret emerging findings, ensuring young people’s voices and experiences remain front and center,” Inman Grant says.

The evaluation will assess implementation of the law and look at intended and unintended impacts and outcomes, including children’s wellbeing and mental health, exposure to online risks and harms, and digital habits in general.

Are kids aware of the SMMA? Do they understand it? How have their digital practices changed as a result of it? Are they better off, or worse – and how?

The goal is to deliver “robust, timely, evidence‑based insights to guide future decision‑making.” Per the release, “findings will be released progressively through public reports and peer reviewed publications starting later this year and across 2027 and 2028. Initial reports will focus on early experiences and impacts on young people under 16, with deeper and longer term analysis continuing over time.”

Transparency is a priority: design and evaluation instruments are available on the Open Science Framework (OSF), and will be updated regularly as the evaluation progresses. Extensive information is available at the eSafety Social Media Minimum Age hub.

The evaluation’s website says it is intended to serve as an “evidence source – alongside wider data, research and community input – for the legislative review of the SMMA law, to be led by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts.” The review is scheduled to begin in 2027.

Article Topics

age verification  |  Australia  |  Australia age verification  |  biometric age estimation  |  eSafety Commissioner  |  social media