Here’s how many under-16 social media accounts were removed in Australia

Major social media platforms have restricted access to around 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children under 16 across Australia, following the introduction of the country’s social media minimum age law.

The removals took place in the first half of December after the new rules came into effect on December 10, according to early figures released by Australia’s eSafety Commissioner. The law requires age-restricted platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent under-16s from holding accounts.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant stated that it appears from initial findings that large platforms are making serious attempts at compliance. The early findings have been found encouraging, although it is too early to tell at this stage whether or not platforms have complied.

Since the legislation has been enforced, the job of eSafety has been transformed from preparation to the monitoring and enforcement of the legislation, with particular focus on the platforms with the highest number of users below the age of 16 years. 

The regulatory body, eSafety, has also indicated that the systems designed towards age assurance take time to improve and that the responsibility of blocking children still rests with the companies.

Grant acknowledged reports that some under-16 accounts remain active but said the success of the policy should be measured by reductions in harm rather than total elimination. She compared the approach to other safety laws, such as speed limits, where compliance improves over time and cultural norms gradually shift.

The greatest impacts of the policy, she says, are likely to be long-term and generational. eSafety has commissioned an independent longitudinal evaluation to work with youth mental health experts to assess changes over time in children and families.

Several platforms, such as Bluesky and Lemon8, considered themselves to fall under the new legislation and were engaging with eSafety. The regulator added that it will continue to focus on services with the most significant number of users in Australia and potential migration to other platforms.