Major social media companies removed access to about 4.7 million accounts identified as belonging to children under 16 in the first half of December to comply with Australia’s social media minimum age, according to initial figures gathered by eSafety.
eSafety’s focus since the minimum age obligation took effect on December 10 has shifted from preparation to monitoring and enforcement.
“The data released today is an early indication that major platforms are taking meaningful actions to prevent under-16s from holding accounts. I am very pleased with these preliminary results,” eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said.
“It is clear that eSafety’s regulatory guidance and engagement with platforms is already delivering significant outcomes.”
Ms Inman Grant acknowledged reports some under-16s accounts remain active and cautioned it was too early to determine whether progress so far constituted full compliance by platforms.
“While some kids may find creative ways to stay on social media, it’s important to remember that just like other safety laws we have in society, success is measured by reduction in harm and in re-setting cultural norms,” Ms Inman Grant said.
“Speed limits for instance are not a failure because some people speed. Most would agree that roads are safer because of them. Over time, compliance increases, norms settle, and the safety benefits grow.”
“And while effective age assurance may take time to bed down, we’ve had incredibly positive initial feedback already from three of the largest age assurance providers who have told us that Australia’s implementation of the social media minimum age has been relatively smooth and this was supported by proactive public education and communication about what to expect in the lead up to 10 December.”
Ms Inman Grant said the true impact of the social media minimum age won’t be measured in weeks or months but will likely be generational.
“We are still at the very beginning of this journey, and it is evident platforms are taking different approaches based on their individual circumstances, resulting in variations in the data and outcomes currently surfaced,” Ms Inman Grant said.
“Of course, while some positive changes will be clearly evident today, some of longer-term normative changes and related positive impacts on Australian children and families may take years to fully manifest.
“This is precisely why eSafety is undertaking a longitudinal evaluation to measure these impacts over time. As previously announced, we will be measuring these impacts in collaboration with the independent Academic Advisory GroupExternal link,” Ms Inman Grant said.
eSafety has been clear in its engagement and guidance to age-restricted social media platforms that services are required to self-assess in relation to whether they meet the legislative criteria, and to take reasonable steps to comply accordingly.
This messaging and engagement has resulted in services such as BlueSky and Lemon8 assessing themselves as meeting the criteria, and they are working cooperatively with eSafety.
“Given the vast number of online services and the fast-evolving nature of the tech industry, it’s impossible to list all of the services which meet the conditions and are obliged to comply with the social media minimum age obligation,” Ms Inman Grant said.
“As I have said for some time now, our compliance focus will remain on platforms with the highest number of Australian users.”