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Why Bans Fail: Tipping Points and Australia’s Social Media Ban

Author

Listed:
  • Leonardo Bursztyn

    (University of Chicago & NBER)

  • Angela Duckworth

    (University of Pennsylvania)

  • Rafael Jiménez-Durán

    (Bocconi University, IGIER, CEPR, CESifo, & Stigler Center)

  • Aaron Leonard

    (University of Chicago)

  • Filip Milojević

    (University of Chicago)

  • Christopher Roth

    (University of Cologne, ECONtribute, NHH Norwegian School of Economics, MPI for Behavioral Economics, & CEPR)

  • Cass R. Sunstein

    (Harvard Law School)

Abstract

Four months after Australia banned under-16s from major social media platforms, only about a quarter of affected teenagers comply, and the way the ban is designed makes that share more likely to erode than to grow. In December 2025, Australia became the first country to ban under-16s from holding accounts on major social media platforms, and comparable legislation has since been adopted, drafted, or proposed in more than a dozen other countries. We surveyed roughly two thousand Australian teenagers four months after the ban took effect. Compliance is low, around 25%, and is unlikely to consolidate. Teenagers say they would need roughly two-thirds of their peers to comply before complying themselves, and they perceive compliers as less popular than non-compliers. Sustaining higher compliance will require pairing the ban with instruments that act on social norms and individual incentives directly.

Suggested Citation

  • Leonardo Bursztyn & Angela Duckworth & Rafael Jiménez-Durán & Aaron Leonard & Filip Milojević & Christopher Roth & Cass R. Sunstein, 2026. "Why Bans Fail: Tipping Points and Australia’s Social Media Ban," ECONtribute Policy Brief Series 072, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:ajk:ajkpbs:072
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    JEL classification:

    • D85 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Network Formation
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • L51 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Economics of Regulation

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