More than 4.7m social media accounts closed in two days after ban began, data reveals

Millions of Australian social media accounts held by children have been culled since new age limits took effect and safety regulators are now looking “closely” at the data to ensure all platforms are complying. More than 4.7 million accounts on platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat were deactivated in the first two days of the ban that started on December 10, according to new data released by the federal government. Preliminary analysis by the eSafety Commissioner has found social media companies affected by the new laws have been making “meaningful attempts” to prevent underage users from holding accounts. The platforms were required to provide the data to eSafety as part of the laws introduced by the Albanese government. Earlier this week Meta revealed it removed 330,000 users from Instagram, 173,000 from Facebook and 39,000 from Threads between December 4 and 11 last year. The company remains critical of the age restriction, arguing it has isolated vulnerable teens from support in online communities and driven them to less regulated apps. “The premise of the law, which prevents under-16-year-olds from holding a social media account so they aren’t exposed to an ‘algorithmic experience’, is false,” Meta said in a blog post. “Platforms
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