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

A schoolgirl uses her phone as she walks with a group of kids in Sydney, on Dec 8, 2025. Inman Grant said her staff were ready for the possibility that platforms would deliberately fail to exclude young children through age verification and age estimation technologies. — AP

MELBOURNE, Australia: Australian authorities on Dec 11 demanded some of the world’s biggest social media platforms report how many accounts they have deactivated since a ban on accounts for children younger than 16 became law.

Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube and Twitch all said they would abide by Australia’s world-first law that took effect on Dec 10, Communications Minister Anika Wells said.