Australia social media ban removes 4.7 million teen accounts under new law
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Social media companies have removed access to millions of accounts belonging to children in the first month since Australia’s historic ban came into force, requiring platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok to identify and disable users under 16.
Some 4.7 million users had their access revoked, according to Australian officials on Friday, who announced the first success of the law, which came into force in mid-December amid fears about the impact of online environments on young people.
“Today we can announce that this is working,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a press conference. he said. “This is Australia’s pride. This was world-class legislation, but it’s now being followed all over the world.”
Under the law, 10 social media giants (Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, Snapchat, Kick, Reddit, Threads, Twitch and YouTube) are required to identify and disable accounts of Australian users under the age of 16. Companies face fines of up to $33 million if they don’t take “reasonable steps” to remove underage users.
AUSTRALIAN MOTHER CALLS FOR AGE RESTRICTIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA AFTER HER DAUGHTER’S SUICIDE
Australia’s prime minister has celebrated the success of new legislation that will require social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok to identify and disable users under 16. (Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images; Anna Barclay/Getty Images)
“Anyone who said it couldn’t be done, we belittled some of the world’s most powerful and richest companies and their backers,” Australian communications minister Anika Wells said. “Now Australian parents can be confident their children can get their childhood back.”
According to Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, there are approximately 2.5 million Australians aged 8 to 15, and approximately 84% of 8 to 12 year olds have at least one social media account. While the total number of accounts on the platforms is unknown, Inman Grant said the number of disabled or restricted accounts is encouraging.
“We are preventing predatory social media companies from accessing our children,” he said at a press conference.
NEARLY TWO-THIRDS OF AMERICAN VOTERS SUPPORT A SOCIAL MEDIA BAN ON CHILDREN UNDER 16, ACCORDING TO A FOX NEWS POLL.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets with police officers during his visit to NSW Police headquarters following a fatal shooting during a Jewish holiday celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on December 16, 2025. (Hollie Adams/Reuters)
Critics of the new ban argued that it would be difficult to enforce, and Inman Grant acknowledged that there were still some active underage accounts.
“We don’t expect safety laws to eliminate every single violation. If we did that, speed limits would fail because people were speeding, drink limits would fail because, believe it or not, some children have access to alcohol,” he said.
He added that according to data reviewed by his office, there was an increase in downloads of alternative apps after the ban began, but no increase in usage.
Social media platforms can verify age by requesting copies of identification documents, using a third party to apply age estimation technology to the account holder’s face, or by making inferences from already available data, such as how long an account has been active.
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads, said earlier this week that it had removed nearly 550,000 accounts belonging to users it believed were under 16, just a day after the ban began.
While the law is popular with parents and child safety campaigners, it has been largely opposed by online privacy advocates and groups representing young people.
IT IS CLAIMED THAT FRANCE IS PLANNING TO PROHIBIT THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA BY CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 15 AS OF 2026
A teenager in Sydney holds the phone that displayed an Instagram age verification message after the account was locked on December 9, 2025. (AFP via Getty Images)
Other countries, along with Australia, have considered similar measures, and some American lawmakers have also signaled interest in imposing social media restrictions in the United States.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said last month: “I think we should look at what Australia is doing, for example, mandating that access to these social media platforms is not available to anyone under 16.”
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., has previously said that “protecting children is the path to follow.”
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
“I wouldn’t rule out some kind of limitation on the sale, distribution or use of these devices… Parents and grandparents need help; this is getting out of control,” he said.
Fox News Digital’s Nora Moriarty, Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
