Social media companies have revoked access to millions of accounts belonging to children in Australia in the first month since the historic ban came into effect, forcing platforms including Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok to identify and deactivate users under the age of 16.
Access was revoked for about 4.7 million users, according to Australian officials, who on Friday praised the early success of the law, which came into effect in mid-December amid fears around the impact of online environments on young people.
“Today we can announce that this is working,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a press conference. “This is a source of Australian pride. This was world-leading legislation, but it is now being followed around the world.”
The law requires 10 social media giants – Facebook, Instagram, The companies face fines of up to $33 million if they don’t take “reasonable steps” to remove underage users.
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Australia’s prime minister celebrated the success of a new law requiring social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok to identify and deactivate users under the age of 16. (Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images; Anna Barclay/Getty Images)
“We looked at everyone who said it couldn’t be done, some of the most powerful and richest companies in the world and their supporters,” Australian Communications Minister Anika Wells said. “Now Australian parents can be confident their children can get their childhood back.”
According to Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, there are approximately 2.5 million Australians between the ages of 8 and 15, with approximately 84% of 8 to 12 year olds having at least one social media account. While the total number of accounts across platforms is unknown, Inman Grant said the number of deactivated or restricted accounts was encouraging.
“We are preventing predatory social media companies from gaining access to our children,” she said at a news conference.
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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets with police officers during a visit to NSW Police headquarters following a fatal shooting during a Jewish celebration at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia, December 16, 2025. (Hollie Adams/Reuters)
Critics of the new ban have argued that it will be difficult to enforce, and Inman Grant acknowledged that there are still some active minors’ accounts.
“We don’t expect safety laws to eliminate every violation. If we had, the speed limits would have failed because people are speeding, and the drinking limits would have failed because, believe it or not, some kids get access to alcohol,” she said.
She added that based on data reviewed by her office, there was an increase in downloads of alternative apps after the ban took effect, but no spike in usage.
Social media platforms can verify age by requesting copies of identification documents, using a third party to apply age estimation technology to an account holder’s face, or by drawing conclusions from already available data, such as how long an account has been active.
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads, said earlier this week that it had deleted nearly 550,000 accounts of users it believed were under 16, just one day after the ban began.
While the law was popular among parents and child safety campaigners, online privacy advocates and groups representing teenagers largely opposed it.
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A teenager in Sydney holds a phone showing an Instagram age verification message after the account was locked on December 9, 2025. (AFP via Getty Images)
Other countries have considered similar measures in line with Australia, and some US lawmakers have also indicated interest in pursuing social media restrictions in the US.
“I think we need to look at what Australia is doing, for example, in requiring that access to these social media platforms not be available to anyone under the age of 16,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said last month.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., previously said that “protecting children is a path that must be taken.”
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“I would not rule out a restriction on the sale, distribution or use of these devices… Parents and grandparents need help; this is getting out of hand,” he said.
