Australia has begun enforcing a world-first law that prohibits children under the age of sixteen from holding accounts on major social media platforms, with the nation’s online safety regulator acknowledging that tech companies were reluctant to embrace the new age restrictions before ultimately falling in line.

The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act came into effect on December ten, establishing a legal requirement for platforms to take “reasonable steps” to prevent Australian children younger than sixteen from accessing or creating social media accounts.

Under the legislation, companies face fines of up to forty-nine point five million Australian dollars if they fail to meet their obligations under the law.

Since enforcement began, major platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X, YouTube, Reddit, Threads and Twitch have reported deactivating or restricting access to millions of accounts identified as belonging to under-sixteen users, with early figures indicating roughly four point seven million such accounts were removed or limited in access as part of compliance efforts.

According to Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, social media companies initially pushed back against the restrictions, coming “kicking and screaming” as regulators and lawmakers pressed them to accept the requirements and to prepare systems to comply with age-based access controls.

Industry concerns focused on the practical challenges of verifying age, the ambiguities around enforcement technologies and the perceived costs of compliance, with some firms warning that the rushed implementation timeline and unclear enforcement mechanisms could undermine safety outcomes.

Despite this resistance, platforms agreed to work with regulators to implement the ban, and Australia’s eSafety office has emphasised that enforcement will be a long-term effort involving ongoing monitoring and technical refinement to address children seeking to circumvent the rules.

The law has been met with broad public support among parents and child safety advocates, though some civil liberties groups and legal challengers argue it raises issues around free expression and practical effectiveness.

Australia’s government and regulators say the age-based restrictions mark a pioneering step in online safety policy, and similar measures are now under consideration by other nations watching its implementation and impact.

The regulatory framework allows for the addition of further platforms to the age-restricted list over time as the digital environment evolves, and the eSafety Commission continues to engage with companies to ensure compliance and to refine guidance on reasonable steps to keep young people protected online.