""We stared down everybody who said it couldn't be done, some of the most powerful and rich companies in the world and their supporters," communications minister Anika Wells told reporters on Friday. "Now Australian parents can be confident that their kids can have their childhoods back.""
"The figures, reported to Australia's government by 10 social media platforms, were the first to show the scale of the landmark ban since it was enacted in December over fears about the effects of harmful online environments on young people. The law provoked fraught debates in Australia about technology use, privacy, child safety and mental health and has prompted other countries to consider similar measures."
"Under Australian law, Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, and Twitch face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($33.2 million) if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove the accounts of Australian children younger than 16. Messaging services such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are exempt."
About 4.7 million social media accounts identified as belonging to children in Australia were revoked after a ban on platform use by those under 16. Ten platforms reported the figure to the government, marking the first data on the ban's scale since its enactment in December. Platforms face fines up to 49.5 million Australian dollars for failing to remove under-16 accounts, while messaging services like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are exempt. Age verification options include ID checks, third‑party facial age estimation, or inferences from existing account data. Approximately 2.5 million Australians are aged 8 to 15 and past estimates suggested high account ownership among younger children.
Read at Fast Company
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