Australia’s World-First Under-16 Social Media Ban Leads to Nearly Five Million Accounts Removed
New federal law triggers swift large-scale deactivations as platforms act to comply with age restrictions designed to protect children online
Australia’s sweeping ban on social media use by those under the age of sixteen has resulted in the deactivation, removal or restriction of nearly five million accounts in the first month after it took effect.
The landmark measure, implemented on December ten under the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act, places primary responsibility on major platforms to prevent under-16s from holding accounts or face financial penalties of up to forty-nine point five million Australian dollars.
More than 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to Australians under sixteen years old have already been blocked across platforms including Meta’s Facebook, Instagram and Threads, TikTok, Snapchat, X, YouTube, Reddit, Twitch and Kick, according to data from the eSafety Commissioner and statements from the prime minister and company reports.
Platforms have broadly cooperated with the new law, though precise breakouts by company are limited by commercial confidentiality.
Meta alone reported deactivating over half a million suspected under-16 accounts in the first week of enforcement as part of its compliance efforts.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Communications Minister Anika Wells welcomed the early figures as an indication that the law is having a swift and meaningful impact in keeping younger Australians off social media.
They have emphasized this as part of broader efforts to bolster online safety and encourage offline development among children.
Officials acknowledge that enforcement will continue to evolve and that age-verification systems will be refined over time.
Smaller applications briefly saw interest from users seeking alternatives, but there is no clear long-term migration to platforms outside the defined list subject to the ban as regulators monitor compliance.
The rollout continues to draw attention internationally as other nations observe Australia’s approach to regulating youth social media access.
Ongoing legal challenges, including actions by platforms such as Reddit, signal that aspects of the law may face judicial scrutiny in the months ahead.
The landmark measure, implemented on December ten under the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act, places primary responsibility on major platforms to prevent under-16s from holding accounts or face financial penalties of up to forty-nine point five million Australian dollars.
More than 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to Australians under sixteen years old have already been blocked across platforms including Meta’s Facebook, Instagram and Threads, TikTok, Snapchat, X, YouTube, Reddit, Twitch and Kick, according to data from the eSafety Commissioner and statements from the prime minister and company reports.
Platforms have broadly cooperated with the new law, though precise breakouts by company are limited by commercial confidentiality.
Meta alone reported deactivating over half a million suspected under-16 accounts in the first week of enforcement as part of its compliance efforts.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Communications Minister Anika Wells welcomed the early figures as an indication that the law is having a swift and meaningful impact in keeping younger Australians off social media.
They have emphasized this as part of broader efforts to bolster online safety and encourage offline development among children.
Officials acknowledge that enforcement will continue to evolve and that age-verification systems will be refined over time.
Smaller applications briefly saw interest from users seeking alternatives, but there is no clear long-term migration to platforms outside the defined list subject to the ban as regulators monitor compliance.
The rollout continues to draw attention internationally as other nations observe Australia’s approach to regulating youth social media access.
Ongoing legal challenges, including actions by platforms such as Reddit, signal that aspects of the law may face judicial scrutiny in the months ahead.
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