Australia closes 4.7 million child social media accounts nationwide

Australian Government Reports 4.7 Million Deactivated Social Media Accounts Belonging to Children Under 16

The Australian government has reported that approximately 4.7 million social media accounts belonging to children under the age of 16 have been deactivated or restricted since the country’s ban on minors using these platforms came into effect in December.

According to officials, this figure was provided by 10 major social media companies and marks the first time the scale of the ban has been publicly disclosed. Communications Minister Anika Wells stated that the government had successfully implemented the ban despite opposition from some powerful companies and their supporters.

The law, which aims to protect young people from harmful online environments, has sparked debate in Australia about technology use, privacy, child safety, and mental health. The 10 social media platforms covered by the ban, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, face fines of up to $33.2 million if they fail to comply.

The eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, reported that approximately 2.5 million Australians are aged between 8 and 15, and past estimates suggested that 84% of eight- to 12-year-olds held social media accounts. The figure of 4.7 million deactivated or restricted accounts is considered encouraging by the commissioner.

The 10 major companies covered by the ban have reported compliance with the law, but officials expect them to shift their focus from enforcing the ban to preventing children from creating new accounts or circumventing the prohibition. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, had previously removed nearly 550,000 accounts belonging to users under 16.

The Australian government’s efforts have been widely popular among parents and child safety campaigners, but some online privacy advocates and groups representing teenagers have expressed concerns about the ban’s effectiveness.

Source: Al Jazeera