Australia Removes Nearly 5 Million Under-16 Social Media Accounts After Ban

‘Every account deactivated could mean one extra young person with more free time to build their community and identity offline,’ said Minister Anika Wells.

In this photo illustration, social media networking apps are displayed on a phone screen with the Australian flag displayed in the background in Sydney, Australia on Dec. 7, 2025. Illustration by George Chan/Getty Images

The eSafety commissioner says nearly 5 million social media accounts belonging to users aged under 16 have been deactivated or removed in the two days after the Australian government’s social media ban came into effect on Dec. 10.

According to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) projections based on the most recent census, there are approximately 1.91 million young people aged 10-15 in Australia, suggesting that almost every affected young person had at least two accounts.