12 November 2025
New research from Airteam.com.au reveals 2.1 million Australians are prepared to quit every social media platform rather than verify their age, just one month before the nation's landmark age verification laws take effect on December 10, 2025.
The nationally representative survey of nearly 1,000 Australians found 10% of social media users will abandon every single platform that requires age verification, no matter which site asks. This hardcore privacy-focused cohort represents a complete exodus from digital social connection among the 86% of Australian adults who currently use social media (approximately 20 million people).
A broader 36% of social media users are willing to quit at least some platforms that demand age verification, a combined figure that includes the 10% who will quit everything plus those who will abandon selected platforms, potentially up to 7.9 million Australians.
Gen Z Lead the Exodus Despite Being Digital Natives
Gen Z users are the most likely to abandon social media, with 45% willing to quit rather than verify their age. This generation, typically the most digitally engaged, appears to prioritize privacy over platform access.
The resistance comes as platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X, YouTube and Reddit face December 10 deadlines to implement "reasonable steps" to prevent under-16s from accessing their services. Non-compliance carries penalties of up to $50 million.
Regional Australians More Reliant, Less Likely to Quit
The research reveals a stark urban-regional divide. Regional Australians demonstrate higher social media usage rates and lower willingness to quit, suggesting greater reliance on digital platforms for connection and community engagement.
Age verification methods may include biometric analysis, AI-based verification, or identity document requests, raising significant privacy concerns that appear to be driving the resistance.
"For tech companies and digital service providers, this is a wake-up call about privacy expectations. If social media platforms can lose 2.1 million users over age verification, any business collecting sensitive data needs to ask whether their users trust them enough to stay. The cost of getting privacy wrong isn't just regulatory, it's existential when your customers would rather walk away than verify who they are,” said Rich Atkinson, founder of Airteam.
The findings suggest platforms face a delicate balance between regulatory compliance and user retention, with privacy-conscious Australians prepared to disconnect entirely rather than submit personal data.
https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/HSWDL/2/
About Rich Atkinson
Rich is the Executive Director (Technology) and Co-Founder of Airteam.
• Graduate Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).