MELBOURNE: Australian authorities have directed major social media companies to report how many accounts they have deactivated since a new law banning users under 16 came into effect on Wednesday.
The Communications Minister, Anika Wells, said that platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube and Twitch have agreed to comply with the world-first legislation.
The e-Safety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, has formally requested data from all ten platforms, asking them to disclose the number of under-16 accounts they had as of December 9, and how many remain as of December 11.
Their responses are expected within two weeks, and they will be required to provide monthly reports for the next six months.
Under the new rules, companies may face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($32.9 million) if they fail to take reasonable measures to remove accounts belonging to Australian children under 16.
As per details, Wells noted that the legislation has sparked global interest, with the European Commission, France, Denmark, Greece, Romania, Indonesia, Malaysia and New Zealand considering similar restrictions on children’s access to social media.
