SYDNEY - Tech giants have blocked 4.7 million accounts under Australia's world-first social media ban for under-16s, the country's online safety watchdog said on Friday. Initial figures showed platforms were taking meaningful action to remove underage users, Australia's eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said. Australia has required big platforms including Meta, TikTok and YouTube to stop underage users from holding accounts since the legislation came into force on December 10 last year. Downloads of lesser known platforms such as BlueSky and Lemon8 surged ahead of the implementation of the teen social media ban. But both social media sites recognised that they were covered by the legislation, and they were cooperating with the Australian regulator, Inman Grant said.

Source: Bangkok Post January 16, 2026 02:25 UTC