FRESH concerns have been raised over a proposed Australia-style blanket social media ban for under-16s after polling suggested it is failing to stop most teens Down Under from having accounts.

A survey found that three in five 12- to 15-year-olds still have access to one or more online accounts and 14 per cent said the ban, which came into effect last year, made them feel less safe.

Online safety campaigner Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, warned the findings raise major questions about the effectiveness of the government’s proposals for broad powers to limit children’s access to social media as part of the Children’s Wellbeing & Schools Bill.

“The cost is too high to get this wrong by rushing into an Australia-style ban that offers the perception of security but is letting children down in practice,” he said.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has vowed to look closely at the experience in Australia before deciding what approach to take.