Australia removes 4.7M kids from social media platforms in first month of historic ban

Australia implements first-ever youth social media ban 'Fox & Friends' hosts Lawrence Jones, Ainsley Earhardt and Brian Kilmeade discuss Australia's new youth social media ban. Social media companies have removed access to millions of accounts belonging to children in Australia in the first month since the country’s historic ban took effect, requiring platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok to identify and deactivate users under the age 16. Access was revoked for roughly 4.7 million users, according to Australian officials, who on Friday touted the early success of the law , which was enacted in mid-December amid fears surrounding the impact of online environments on young people. "Today, we can announce that this is working," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said during a news conference. "This is a source of Australian pride. This was world-leading legislation, but it is now being followed up around the world." Under the law, 10 social media giants - Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, Snapchat, Kick, Reddit, Threads, Twitch and YouTube - must locate and deactivate accounts of Australian users under the age of 16. The companies face fines of up to $33 million if they don’t take "reasonable steps" to remove underage users. AUSTRALIAN MOTHER CALLS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA AGE RESTRICTIONS AFTER DAUGHTER'S SUICIDE Australia’s prime minister celebrated the success of a new law, which requires social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok to identify and deactivate users under the age of 16. (Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images; Anna Barclay/Getty Images) "We stared down everybody who said it couldn’t be done, some of the most powerful and rich companies in the world and their supporters," said Australian communications minister Anika Wells. "Now Australian parents can be confident that their kids can have their childhoods back." According to Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, there are roughly 2.5 million Australians between the ages of 8 and 15, with about 84% of 8 to 12-year-olds having at least one social media account. While the total number of accounts across platforms is unknown, Inman Grant said the number of deactivated or restricted accounts was encouraging. "We’re preventing predatory social media companies from accessing our children," she said at a news conference. NEARLY TWO-THIRDS OF AMERICAN VOTERS BACK SOCIAL MEDIA BAN FOR KIDS UNDER 16, FOX NEWS POLL SHOWS Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets police officers during a visit to the NSW Police headquarters, following a deadly shooting incident during a Jewish holiday celebration at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia, Dec. 16, 2025. (Hollie Adams/Reuters) Critics of the new ban have argued that it will be difficult to enforce, and Inman Grant acknowledged that there are still some active underage accounts. "We don't expect safety laws to eliminate every single breach. If we did, speed limits would have failed because people speed, drinking limits would have failed because, believe it or not, some kids do get access to alcohol," she said. She added that based on data reviewed by her office, there was an increase in downloads of alternative...

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