Additional Coverage:
- Australia removes 4.7M kids from social media platforms in first month of historic ban (foxnews.com)
Australia’s Landmark Social Media Ban Kicks Off, Millions of Underage Accounts Axed
CANBERRA, Australia – In a groundbreaking move that could ripple across the globe, Australia’s new law mandating social media platforms to deactivate accounts of users under 16 has seen nearly 4.7 million underage accounts removed in its first month. Australian officials are touting the “world-leading legislation” as an early success in safeguarding young people from the potential harms of online environments.
The law, which went into effect in mid-December, targets ten major social media companies including Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, and X. These platforms now face hefty fines of up to $33 million if they fail to take “reasonable steps” to identify and remove users under the age of 16.
“Today, we can announce that this is working,” declared Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a recent news conference, expressing national pride in the initiative that is now being observed and considered by other nations.
Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells echoed the sentiment, stating, “We stared down everybody who said it couldn’t be done, some of the most powerful and rich companies in the world and their supporters. Now Australian parents can be confident that their kids can have their childhoods back.”
According to Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, approximately 2.5 million Australians are between the ages of 8 and 15, with a staggering 84% of 8-to-12-year-olds reportedly having at least one social media account. While the exact total number of accounts across all platforms remains elusive, the significant number of deactivated accounts is seen as a promising indicator.
“We’re preventing predatory social media companies from accessing our children,” Inman Grant emphasized.
While critics have raised concerns about the enforceability of the ban, Inman Grant acknowledged that some underage accounts may still be active. However, she likened the situation to other safety regulations, noting, “We don’t expect safety laws to eliminate every single breach. If we did, speed limits would have failed because people speed, drinking limits would have failed because, believe it or not, some kids do get access to alcohol.”
The eSafety Commissioner also reported an increase in downloads of alternative apps after the ban began, but no corresponding surge in usage, suggesting that the law is having its intended effect.
Social media companies are employing various methods to verify user ages, including requesting identification documents, utilizing third-party age estimation technology, and drawing inferences from existing account data. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, reported removing nearly 550,000 accounts believed to belong to underage users just one day after the ban commenced.
Despite strong support from parents and child safety advocates, the law has faced opposition from online privacy groups and organizations representing teenagers.
Australia’s bold move has not gone unnoticed internationally, with other countries considering similar measures. In the United States, lawmakers such as Sen.
John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) have expressed interest in exploring social media restrictions for minors, citing the need to protect children and provide “a helping hand” to parents and grandparents grappling with the challenges of the digital age.