TikTok Usage Among 10-15 Year Olds Inching Back to Pre-Ban Levels: Qustodio
Analysis of usage data shows kids increasingly using WhatsApp to communicate since the ban took place, while Snapchat and Instagram slowly increasing in usage among banned cohort since January
Sydney, Australia - Following an initial post-social media ban decline in usage among 10-15 year olds, access and usage of the three leading social media platforms among children is once again on the rise, with TikTok usage now a mere percentage point lower than the period just prior to the ban.
This is according to analysis from world-leading online safety company Qustodio, a parental control tool that allows for applications on devices to be restricted or blocked by parents. The company analysed the anonymised monthly social media app usage among Australian children from November 2024 to July 2026, investigating the percentage of children who used each app at least once in a given month for more than five consecutive minutes.
“They could be accessing these platforms with VPNs, or obfuscating their ages. But it could really be as simple as they're just accessing these apps because the restrictions aren’t working,” said Yasmin London, Global Online Safety Expert for Qustodio. “As Australia’s eSafety commissioner highlights, the methods of restriction applied by the platforms have been mostly ineffective, and children are still accessing social media – with our data showing the usage is in fact back on the rise.
“It’s important for parents to remain alert, reiterate the potential risks associated with social media, and monitor for any behavioural or psychological changes among their children, given many of them are clearly still using social platforms.
“And importantly, parents need to also understand other platforms their kids might have turned to in the absence of easy social media access, in particular WhatsApp – with the data showing usage among 10-15 year-olds skyrocketing.”
Social media usage back on the rise, with one notable exception
Qustodio separated use among three age groups: 10-12, 13-15, and 16-18 – the latter has been used as a same-platform, same-period comparison as that age cohort was not included in the ban: a difference in that group's trend from the two younger groups is one indication, though never proof, that something about the restrictions rather than the platform generally is at play.
TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram all show the same underlying shape: a clear drop among 10-12 and 13-15 year-olds in the weeks after the restrictions took effect, followed by a climb back that is still underway as of July.
TikTok's climb is the most apparent. Usage among 13-15 year-olds fell from 26.95 per cent in November 2025 to 21.13 per cent in January 2026, then climbed back to 25.96 per cent by July, within a point of its starting level.
The 16-18 group climbed too, but more slowly (+1.81 points since the low, against +4.65 and +4.83 for the two younger groups), so this looks like a case where the restricted ages are recovering faster than the platform overall.
Key points labelled: Nov 2024, Nov 2025 (pre-restriction), Dec 2025, Jan 2026, Jul 2026 (latest).
Snapchat shows another version of this pattern. Usage among 13-15 year-olds fell from 34.12 per cent to 18.09 per cent over the same window, the most significant drop across all groups and platforms, but has since climbed to 20.33 per cent.
What makes this platform stand out is the 16-18 comparison: in teens where the restrictions don’t apply, popularity is still falling (-0.76 points since January), even as the two restricted age groups climb.
Key points labeled: Nov 2024, Nov 2025 (pre-restriction), Dec 2025, Jan 2026, Jul 2026 (latest).
Instagram follows the same drop, followed by a climb among 10-12 and 13-15 year-olds. Its popularity among 13-15s has climbed from 15.58 per cent to 17.20 per cent since January, well short of its 26.59 per cent pre-restriction level, but still moving up.
Here, it’s also important to note the 16-18 group is climbing at least as fast (+3.34 points since its own low), meaning this climb represents a popularity increase happening across the platform rather than a climb concentrated in the restricted ages specifically.
Whatever the reason, an increase is still apparent: usage among the ages this restriction targets is moving toward, not away from, its pre-restriction level.
Key points labelled: Nov 2024, Nov 2025 (pre-restriction), Dec 2025, Jan 2026, Jul 2026 (latest).
Importantly, the data and analysis reflects children in families who already use parental control tools. As such, actual usage across the broader population of Australian children and teens is likely higher than the figures reported here, across every platform assessed. It is also important to note that many children in this analysis will have ‘blocking’ restrictions active.
“Recent research from Australia’s eSafety Commissioner into the ban’s effectiveness found that parents who were unaware their teens had used social media had jumped from 23 per cent to 33 per cent,” said London. “What the restrictions may have done more effectively than anything else is put parents even more in the dark than before, while a belief that restrictions are working may have them feeling a false sense of security.
“What these data show is that parents need to remain vigilant, as the restrictions aren’t working as intended. Regaining visibility over their children’s online activity is arguably more important than ever.”
Platforms showing little recovery – with declines pre-dating the ban
YouTube, Reddit, X, and Twitch are not showing the same comparable climb back among 10-12 and 13-15 year-olds. YouTube's decline actually starts over a year before the restrictions were put in place. X and Twitch move at much the same pace regardless of age, showing no sign the restrictions significantly affected their decline. Qustodio sees Reddit’s decline most in the 16-18 year-old age group, where restrictions didn’t actually apply. None of these platforms show the significant recovery visible on TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram – at least not yet.
Reddit is the platform to highlight in this investigation. Its initial decline lines up with the restrictions: its popularity fell across all three age groups between December 2025 and January 2026, a decline similar in size to the same window a year earlier. Recovery between 2025 and 2026 will be where to watch: over 2025, Reddit’s popularity among all three age groups in this analysis climbed between January and July, recovering most of what was lost in the initial dip.
In 2026 so far, Reddit’s popularity among age groups has not recovered in the same way: with 10-12 year-olds it has stayed roughly flat, while falling among 13-15 and 16-18 year-olds, down 2.92 and 5.36 points respectively over the same months. Where Qustodio’s analysis sees the most sustained decline is among 16-18 year-olds – the one group the restrictions never applied to. Examining the trend from the previous year points to it being a platform that is not recovering in popularity – which could be related to restrictions or not – unlike TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram.
Key points labelled: Nov 2024, Nov 2025, Dec 2025, Jan 2026, Jul 2026 (latest).
Table: YouTube, X, Twitch: net change, Nov 2025 to Jul 2026*
*Point change in percentage of children using each platform. X and Twitch show only marginal movement among restricted ages, in either direction. YouTube's 10-12 group is the exception: it drops significantly at the same December-January transition as the platforms above, more than double the equivalent drop a year earlier, but shows no recovery afterward.
WhatsApp emerges as the easily-accessible outlet of choice for children
WhatsApp sits outside the restrictions entirely. Popularity dipped briefly across all three age groups in January 2026, then resumed climbing, and grew faster over the following months than it did over the same timeframe a year earlier for two of the three age groups.
Usage among 13-15 year-olds rose from 27.44 per cent in November 2025 to 35.98 per cent by July, the largest sustained climb of any platform or age group in this particular analysis, restricted or not.
Key points labelled: Nov 2024, Nov 2025 (pre-restriction), Dec 2025, Jan 2026, Jul 2026 (latest).
Qustodio cannot prove that this growth is displaced use from the restricted platforms rather than WhatsApp's own separate rise. But of every platform outside the restrictions examined in this analysis, the company includes it as the one where growth has clearly picked up pace since the restrictions took effect, and it is the strongest single candidate for where some of that interest may be landing.
Qustodio: Methodology and data notes
We analysed monthly app usage among Australian children from November 2024 to July 2026, investigating the percentage of children who used each app at least once in a given month for more than five consecutive minutes. We separated usage among three age groups: 10-12, 13-15, and 16-18. We excluded "time spent" metrics from this investigation, as we typically analyse time spent on a given app only among the children who use it, rather than as an average across all children.
Australia's restrictions apply to under-16s. Of the three age groups tracked here, only 10-12 and 13-15 year-olds are covered by the restrictions on any given platform; 16-18 year-olds were never restricted from using them. Where relevant, we use the 16-18 group as a same-platform, same-period comparison: a difference in that group's trend from the two younger groups is one indication, though never proof, that something about the restrictions rather than the platform generally is at play.
The window begins in November 2024, a full year before the restrictions took effect, so that every month in the post-restriction period has a same-month comparison point from the year prior. Without that year of lead time, the year-on-year comparisons described below wouldn't be possible for the early months following the restrictions.
Platforms assessed include those covered by Australia's social media restrictions: TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, X, and Twitch, alongside platforms that could attract migrating use, such as Roblox, Discord, and WhatsApp.
This analysis reflects children in families who already use parental control tools. As such, actual usage across the broader population of Australian children and teens is likely higher than the figures reported here, across every platform assessed. It is also important to note that many children in this analysis will have “blocking” restrictions active.
Rather than comparing isolated months against each other, we read each platform's full monthly trajectory to see whether a change coincides with the restrictions taking effect in December 2025, or whether it was already underway on its own timeline beforehand. Where a platform shows a shift around that point, we also compare it against the same calendar months exactly one year earlier, in this way judging whether a given month's change is larger than what occurred over the equivalent months in 2024-25.
About Qustodio
Qustodio is an award-winning provider of online safety and digital wellbeing solutions for families. Since 2012, the company has delivered a cross-platform solution for families and schools, helping families worldwide protect children from online harm, while promoting healthy digital habits and awareness. Available in more than 180 countries in 9 languages, Qustodio’s digital wellbeing tools help families live and navigate smarter in an increasingly connected world. Visit www.qustodio.com for more information.