US EditionAustralia Social Media Ban Hits 4.7 Million Teen Accounts in First Month
The Online Safety Amendment Act led to deactivation of about 4.7 million accounts, holding platforms accountable with fines up to A$49.5 million for non-compliance.
- On December 10, Australia's Online Safety Amendment Act took effect, and eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said platforms had removed about 4.7 million under-16 accounts, with government data showing nearly five million deactivated after a month.
- The Online Safety Amendment Act mandates age checks and penalties, raising the minimum age to 16 and imposing fines up to 49.5 million Australian dollars for non-compliance.
- Preliminary analysis by the eSafety Commissioner found platforms made 'meaningful attempts' to prevent underage accounts, with Meta removing over 500,000 such accounts between December 4 and 11, and teens using VPNs and facial-age tricks as workarounds.
- Amy, 14, wrote that losing Snapchat changed her after-school routine, saying, `I often used to call my friends on Snapchat after school, but because I am no longer able to, I went for a run`, while Homeless Entertainment said earnings plunged from $100–$400 weekly.
- Several countries and UK politicians are taking note, with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer showing interest, Reddit suing to overturn the ban, and a mental-health study tracking long-term effects.
93 Articles
93 Articles
Australia was the first country in the world to introduce age restrictions for the use of social media portals, and the first few weeks already show that operators adhere to the ban and have disabled millions of accounts.
Within one month after the ban on social media for under 16-year-olds came into effect, millions of accounts were disabled: Prime Minister Albanese: "Today we can announce that it works, but the system has weaknesses.
Since Australia's social media ban for under-16s, TikTok, Instagram and other tech companies have been hard-working: within one month, 4.7 million youth accounts have been blocked – far more than expected.
The social media ban on children and adolescents in Australia has attracted a lot of attention, and it has been in force for a month now.Is the law working? There are first figures now.One month after the entry into force of a ban on social media for under 16-year-olds in Australia, providers have disabled 4.7 million Australian youth accounts.This was announced by the country's Internet supervisory authority on Friday. "Today, we can announce t…
Tech giants block 4.7 million accounts under Australia’s world‑first teen social media ban
SYDNEY, Jan 16 — Tech giants have blocked 4.7 million accounts under Australia’s world-first social media ban for under-16s, the country’s online safety watchdog said Friday.Initial figures showed platforms were taking meaningful action to remove underage users, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said.“It is clear that eSafety’s regulatory guidance and engagement with platforms is already delivering significant outcomes,” she sai…
4.7M social media accounts deactivated since Australia's youth ban
Social media companies have collectively deactivated nearly five million accounts belonging to Australian teenagers just a month after a world-first ban on under-16s took effect, the country's internet regulator said on Friday, a sign the measure has had a swift and sweeping impact.
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