Australia declares child social media ban victory as 4.7m accounts closed
In January 2026, Australian officials announced that social media companies have closed approximately 4.7 million accounts belonging to children under 16, following the country's ban on social media use for that age group, enacted in December 2025.
The story so far
- Jan 11
- Jan 12
- Jan 15
- Jan 16
How outlets cover it
5 outletsNot rated on the left–right scale. It describes Western party politics and doesn’t fit state media or outlets outside that system, so we show ownership and country instead.
Open questions and key claims
Meta deactivated 544,052 accounts believed to be held by users under 16 between 4 and 11 December.
Ongoing compliance will be a ‘multi-layered process’.
Nearly five million social media accounts belonging to Australian teenagers have been deactivated or removed.
The companies had “removed access” to about 4.7 million accounts belonging to children under 16.
Social media companies revoked access to about 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children in Australia.
About 2.5 million Australians are aged between 8 and 15.
More than 4.7m social media accounts held by Australians under 16 were deactivated, removed or restricted.
Australian parents can be confident that their kids can have their childhoods back.
Who and where
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