Name: Social media ban shuts down more than 4.7 million accounts
Uploaded: 2026-01-16T06:18:13.994Z
Duration: 2 min 1 s
Description: Millions of Australian social media accounts held by children have been culled since new age limits took effect and safety regulators are now looking at the data to ensure all platforms are complying.

Millions of Australian social media accounts held by children have been culled since new age limits took effect and safety regulators are now looking at the data to ensure all platforms are complying.

New South Wales

Australia's recent social media law, designed to protect children, has led to the deactivation, removal, or restriction of more than 4.7 million accounts within a month of its implementation. The law targets under-16s on social platforms, with companies facing significant fines for non-compliance. 

All ten major social media companies are currently adhering to the regulations, and further measures are planned to prevent the creation of fake or imposter accounts. The legislation is being recognized internationally, with countries such as France and the UK considering similar actions. Australia's next steps include focusing on AI and educating children about algorithms.

Social media ban shuts down more than 4.7 million accounts

For many Aussie kids, it's been their first summer making real-world connections after their socials were switched off. Today we can announce that this is working. Just a month after the social media law came in, more than 4.7 million accounts have been deactivated, removed or restricted, freeing up Aussie children. They can discover and learn who they are before these platforms assume who they are. Australia took action to protect our kids, to give kids back their childhood and to give parents peace of mind. Meta's data drills down further with hundreds of thousands of Instagram and Facebook accounts along with almost 40,000 threads gone. Many children booted off multiple platforms. There are 2.5 million Australian children between the ages of 8 and 15 and last year we understood that 84% of 8 to 12 year olds had accounts. 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. Social media giants face fines of almost $50 million for not taking reasonable steps to remove under-16s. All 10 of the companies are currently in compliance. And they'll soon be asked to do more. Preventing people from using the same phones, the same IP addresses to create fake or imposter accounts. This is a source of Australian pride. This was world leading legislation but is now being followed up around the world. The latest, France joining other European countries. The UK votes next week on whether to take action already taken in Indonesia and Malaysia along with some states across the United States. Australia's Crackdown will next look at AI and teaching children how algorithms work. Ali Donaldson, 10 News.

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