Australia demands social media giants report progress on account bans for children under 16

Australian authorities have demanded data from major social media platforms regarding account deactivations following the implementation of a groundbreaking law banning accounts for users under 16 years of age.

The mandate, which took effect on Wednesday, has garnered commitments from ten major platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, and Twitch, according to Communications Minister Anika Wells.

In a significant regulatory move, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant is now requiring these platforms to provide specific data on underage account removals. “Today the eSafety Commissioner will write to all 10 platforms who are considered age-restricted social media platforms and she will ask them what were your numbers of under 16 accounts on Dec. 9; what are your numbers today on Dec. 11?” Wells explained.

This information will be made public within two weeks, with platforms required to provide monthly updates for the next six months. The measure comes with substantial enforcement power—companies face potential fines of up to AU$49.5 million ($32.9 million) if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove accounts belonging to Australian children under 16.

The Australian initiative has sparked international interest, with several countries considering similar restrictions. “The European Commission, France, Denmark, Greece, Romania, Indonesia, Malaysia, and New Zealand are considering following Australia’s lead,” Wells noted, adding that Australia welcomes global allies “joining Australia to take action in this space to draw a line to say enough’s enough.”

However, the law faces potential legal challenges. The Sydney-based Digital Freedom Project plans to contest the legislation on constitutional grounds in the Australian High Court early next year. Commissioner Inman Grant acknowledged that some platforms might be consulting lawyers and waiting to receive their first compulsory information notice or fine before mounting legal challenges.

There are also concerns about compliance strategies. Inman Grant expressed wariness about platforms potentially implementing weak age verification systems that would allow underage users to maintain access while claiming technical failures. “That could be a strategy that they have in and of themselves: we’ll say we’re complying but then we’ll do a crappy job using these technologies and we’ll let people get through and have people claim it’s a failure,” she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

The law addresses a significant issue in Australia’s digital landscape. Research conducted by the eSafety Commissioner found that 84% of Australian children aged 8-12 had accessed social media accounts. More troublingly, 90% of those with access received parental assistance to create accounts, primarily because parents feared their children would face social exclusion.

“What this legislation does is it takes away that fear of exclusion,” Inman Grant explained, suggesting the law creates a more level social playing field by uniformly restricting access.

This legislation represents a watershed moment in social media regulation globally. While platforms have historically implemented age restrictions through self-regulation, this marks the first time a national government has created substantial legal penalties for failing to prevent underage access. The technology industry now faces the challenge of implementing effective age verification systems that balance privacy concerns with legal compliance.

The coming weeks will reveal how aggressively platforms implement these restrictions and whether their efforts satisfy Australian regulators. The outcome may establish precedent for how digital spaces are regulated for young users worldwide, as other countries watch Australia’s regulatory experiment with keen interest.