Australia removes 4.7 million under-16 accounts from social media in first month

Australian officials say platforms deactivated roughly 4.7 million accounts belonging to users under 16 in the first month after a law requiring age checks took effect; the rule applies to ten major social platforms and includes fines for noncompliance.

Australian officials report that social media platforms have deactivated millions of accounts belonging to users under 16 in the first month after a new law took effect in mid-December. The legislation requires major platforms to identify and remove underage accounts and sets financial penalties for companies that do not take reasonable steps to comply. Government ministers and the eSafety Commissioner described the initial removals as evidence the law is working. Officials also acknowledged that some underage accounts remain active and that use of alternative apps rose in downloads without a matching spike in usage. Key facts: - Officials say access was revoked for roughly 4.7 million accounts of users believed to be under 16 during the law's first month. - The law applies to ten major platforms and allows fines (reported up to about AUD 50 million, roughly USD 33 million) for failure to take reasonable steps to remove underage users. - Platforms may verify age using ID documents, third-party age-estimation technology, or inferences from existing account data. - Regulators reported some remaining active underage accounts and an increase in downloads of alternative apps without a corresponding spike in overall usage. Summary: Officials describe the first month as an early enforcement phase that produced large-scale account deactivations and ongoing monitoring by regulators. Undetermined at this time.