Australia’s under-16 social media ban has led platforms to remove or restrict about 4.7 million accounts in the first month after the law took effect, according to figures reported to the government and its online safety regulator. The update is the first official snapshot of how widely the new rules are being enforced, and it has been promoted by officials as an early sign that major platforms are taking action.
Australia enforced the rules by putting the responsibility on social media companies rather than on parents or children, with significant financial penalties for platforms that fail to take “reasonable steps” to stop under-16 users from holding accounts. The law came into effect on December 10, and the regulator’s early data covers the first month of compliance activity.
What the first-month numbers show
Australia’s internet regulator said social media companies removed around 4.7 million accounts held by under-16s to comply with the ban. eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant described the results as preliminary and said the figures suggest platforms are taking meaningful steps, even as reports indicate some under-16 accounts may still remain active.
Inman Grant said, “I am very pleased with these preliminary results,” and added that the regulator’s “regulatory guidance and engagement with platforms is already delivering significant outcomes.” She also said it was too early to determine whether there is full compliance, but described the early signs as encouraging.
Australia’s communications minister, Anika Wells, argued the removals show enforcement is possible, telling reporters: “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.” Wells added: “Now Australian parents can be confident that their kids can have their childhoods back.”
Platforms covered and penalties
The accounts figure was reported to the government by 10 social media platforms, and officials described it as the first data showing the scale of the ban since it was enacted in December. Under the law, Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube and Twitch can face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars for serious or repeated breaches involving under-16 accounts.
Messaging services such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are exempt from the ban, according to the same reporting. Australian officials did not provide a platform-by-platform breakdown of the 4.7 million figure in the materials reported.
How age checks can work
To verify age, platforms can request copies of identification documents, use a third party to apply age estimation technology to an account holder’s face, or make inferences from existing data such as how long an account has been held. Inman Grant said the approach is designed to push compliance onto companies rather than placing legal responsibility on parents or children.
Inman Grant also said three of Australia’s largest age assurance providers described the implementation of the minimum-age rules as “relatively smooth.” At the same time, she noted the broader effects of the ban may take much longer to measure, saying the real impact is unlikely to be clear in weeks or months.
What companies and officials are saying
Inman Grant said the 10 biggest companies covered by the ban were compliant and reported their removal figures on time. She also said the next phase of enforcement is expected to shift from removing existing under-16 accounts to preventing children from creating new accounts or getting around the rules.
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads, said that by the day after the ban came into effect it had removed nearly 550,000 accounts belonging to users understood to be under 16. Meta also criticized the ban in its blog post and warned that smaller platforms where the ban does not apply might not prioritize safety, while noting that browsing platforms could still serve algorithm-selected content to children.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the policy’s early implementation is being watched elsewhere, stating: “The fact that in spite of some skepticism out there, it’s working and being replicated now around the world, is something that is a source of Australian pride.” Denmark was cited as one country considering similar steps, with an announcement in November about an agreement to block access to social media for those under 15, which could potentially become law by mid-2026.
Debate, circumvention, and what comes next
The ban sparked major debate in Australia about technology use, privacy, child safety and mental health, with support from many parents and child safety campaigners and opposition from online privacy advocates and some teen representative groups. Critics also raised concerns about the role of online communities for vulnerable young people or those geographically isolated in Australia’s rural areas.
Some opponents have argued teenagers are finding ways around the rules or moving to other apps. Inman Grant said her office saw a spike in downloads of alternative apps when the ban was enacted, but did not see a spike in usage.
In explaining why the scale of enforcement matters, Inman Grant pointed to how widely social media was used by children before the ban: about 2.5 million Australians are aged 8 to 15, and past estimates suggested 84% of 8- to 12-year-olds held social media accounts. She said it was not known how many accounts existed across the 10 platforms, but described the 4.7 million accounts “deactivated or restricted” as encouraging.
