US EditionSocial Media Platforms Removed 4.7 Million Accounts After Australia Banned Them for Children
The ban aims to protect children from online harms and mental health risks, with 4.7 million accounts removed, more than two per Australian aged 10 to 16, eSafety said.
- By December 12, 4.7 million accounts had been shut down, suspended or restricted under laws that took effect on December 10 requiring platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube to stop under-16s holding accounts.
- The Albanese government argued the law protects children under 16 from addictive algorithms and mental-health harms, making Australia the first country to enact such a sweeping social media ban.
- Platforms are using verification methods such as government-issued ID, facial age estimation or age inference and offer at least one alternative to submitting formal ID.
- Communications Minister Anika Wells said the deactivation numbers are a "huge achievement," but some teens fooled Snapchat’s facial age scans and re-registered, showing enforcement gaps.
- With international interest, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said, `Think of this as like a law enforcement investigation. You don't share evidence when you have active regulatory investigations`, while UK politicians including Keir Starmer consider similar measures.
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Australia Says 4.7 Million Accounts Removed After Ban on Social Media for Children
Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells said on Friday that some 4.7 million social media accounts have been shut down since her country’s ban on social media for children under 16 went into effect in December. The post Australia Says 4.7 Million Accounts Removed After Ban on Social Media for Children appeared first on Breitbart.
Australia’s social media ban for children has already wiped out 4.7 million accounts
Social media companies have revoked access to about 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children in Australia since the country banned use of the platforms by those under 16, officials said. “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,” communications minister Anika Wells told reporters on Friday. “Now Australian parents can be confident that t…
Is a social media ban for teens the answer?
A month after Australia’s social media ban for kids under 16 took effect, debates have reignited over the effectiveness of such a sweeping measure in keeping children safe online. Almost five million social media accounts belonging to Australian teenagers have been deactivated or removed, according to the government. This announcement was the first metric since the laws’ rollout, which is “being closely watched by several other countries” weighi…
Social media platforms removed 4.7 million accounts after Australia banned them for children younger than 16
The figures, reported to Australia's government by 10 social media platforms, were the first to show the scale of the landmark ban since it was enacted in December over fears about the effects of harmful online environments on young people.
Australia has been implementing a social media ban for under 16-year-olds for a month. Studies show advantages and disadvantages.
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