Social Media Platforms Remove Nearly Five Million Teen Accounts After Australian Ban
Social media companies have deactivated nearly five million accounts belonging to Australian teenagers, just one month after the country enforced a world-first ban on users under 16, according to the eSafety Commissioner. The move marks one of the most significant crackdowns on youth social media use to date.
Rapid Response to New Law
The eSafety Commissioner confirmed that platforms had collectively removed around 4.7 million accounts belonging to users under the age of 16 to comply with a law that took effect on 10 December. Some companies began closing the affected accounts in the weeks leading up to the deadline to ensure compliance.
These figures, the first released since the law’s introduction, indicate that platforms are taking serious measures to avoid penalties of up to A$49.5 million (US$33 million) for non-compliance. The legislation, however, does not penalise children or their parents.
Major Platforms Act to Comply
The total number of deleted accounts is more than double earlier estimates and equates to over two accounts per Australian aged 10 to 16, based on national demographic data. Meta said it had already removed about 550,000 underage accounts from Instagram, Facebook and Threads.
Other major platforms affected by the law include Google’s YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, and Elon Musk’s X, formerly Twitter. Reddit has stated that it is following the rules but has also filed a legal challenge against the government, which it says it will defend in court.
“It is clear that eSafety’s regulatory guidance and engagement with platforms is already delivering significant outcomes,” Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said in a statement. She noted that while many underage accounts have been deleted, some remain active, and full compliance will take time.
Age Verification and Monitoring Efforts
Inman Grant explained that reliable age verification systems will take time to become fully effective. Feedback from third-party age-assurance providers, who help platforms implement these systems, suggested that Australia’s rollout had proceeded smoothly, supported by public education campaigns before the ban.
Some smaller social media platforms reported a temporary spike in downloads in Australia just before the law came into effect. However, the eSafety office said those surges did not result in sustained engagement and that it would continue monitoring migration trends among younger users.
A long-term study involving mental health experts will examine how the ban affects children’s wellbeing over the coming years.
with inputs from Reuters
