Overview
- The eSafety Commissioner released preliminary data indicating roughly 4.7 million under‑16 accounts were deactivated within days of the December 10 rollout across major platforms.
- Officials called the early response encouraging and reminded firms they face penalties of up to A$49.5 million for failing to take reasonable steps to block under‑16s.
- Meta reported removing about 544,000 suspected underage accounts and urged app‑store age checks, arguing teens still encounter algorithmic content when logged out.
- Regulators said some under‑16 accounts remain active as age‑assurance tools bed down, with reports of teens using fake ages, facial tricks or alternative apps to bypass checks.
- Reddit is complying but suing to overturn the law, and policymakers abroad — including in the UK and several European countries — are considering similar restrictions.