Australia Shuts Down 4.7 Million Child Social Media Accounts

Australia Closes Millions of Child Accounts on Social Media

The authorities in Australia have announced that approximately 4.7 million accounts believed to belong to children have been closed following the implementation of a law that prohibits the use of social media platforms for individuals under 16 years of age. "We have faced all those who said it couldn’t be done, the most powerful and wealthy giants of the world and their supporters," said Communications Minister Anika Wells in front of the press.

According to reports, the ten social media platforms disclosed these figures to the Australian government, highlighting the scale of the ban enacted in December due to concerns over harmful online environments for youth. The law has sparked heated debates across Australia regarding technology use, privacy, child safety, and mental health, inspiring other countries to consider similar measures.

Under the Australian legislation, platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube risk fines of up to AUD 49.5 million if they do not take reasonable steps to remove accounts belonging to children under 16. Messaging services like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are exempt from this regulation. To verify users' ages, platforms may request copies of identification documents or utilize age estimation technology based on users' facial features.

Australia's eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, noted that approximately 2.5 million Australians are between the ages of 8 and 15, and previous estimates suggest that 84% of children aged 8 to 12 had social media accounts. Inman Grant stated that the figure of 4.7 million "deactivated or restricted" accounts is encouraging.

The legislation has been warmly received by parents and child safety advocates, while some online privacy supporters and groups representing teenagers have opposed it. The latter emphasized the support young vulnerable individuals find in online spaces, particularly those geographically isolated in rural regions of Australia. There have been instances where users managed to circumvent age verification technologies or received assistance from parents or older siblings.

Additionally, Inman Grant mentioned that data indicates a surge in downloads of alternative apps following the implementation of the ban, although no significant increase in their use has been observed. Australian authorities are planning to introduce innovative restrictions on artificial intelligence and chatbots in March.