[Source: Reuters]

More than 8 in 10 ​Australian teenagers were still using social media three months after the government’s landmark ban on the platforms for under-16s took effect because the ‌tech firms failed to implement effective age checks, the country’s internet regulator has found.

In a study published on Friday, eSafety also found most children aged between 10 and 15 were using social media just as frequently in March as they had before the ban came into force on December 10 last year, while parental awareness of their habits decreased.

Children’s continued social media use ​took place even as account ownership declined to 42% from 52%, with “statistically significant” reductions across YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok in particular, the report said.

“Most ​under-16s who had social media accounts before commencement were able to either retain them or create new ones at the three-month ⁠mark, with social media platforms’ failure to implement effective age assurance measures cited as the main reason,” eSafety said in a statement.

Australia introduced the world-first ban ​because of concerns about the impact of social media on the mental and physical health of children and young people. Its implementation is being closely watched by many nations ​that have since sought to introduce their own curbs.

Before the ban, nearly 86% of children surveyed reported using at least one age-restricted platform. Three months later, that figure remained above 81%, the report said.

About 58% of teenagers reported using social media daily or more often, barely down from roughly 60% before the ban, it found.

The report showed minimal change in “sports and physical ​activity, arts and music, spending time with friends and family, and attendance at community events”.