One million accounts of minors banned from social media, how effective will it be

One of the world's strictest laws came into effect in Australia on Wednesday (December 10). Under this, at least one million children and teenagers under the age of 16 have suddenly lost access to social media. According to a CNN report, about one million (one million) accounts are being closed or deactivated.

Meta (Facebook/Instagram/Threads) said that about 500,000 accounts (of 13-15 year olds) are being deactivated. Several hundred thousand accounts will be closed on several platforms including Snapchat, TikTok. The aim of the law is to ensure the safety of minors - especially to protect them from the risks of addictive algorithms, online sex offenders and digital bullying.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described it as a "proud day", saying it was a day when Australian families were taking back control from big tech companies. However, he admitted that implementing the law would not be easy.

The 10 banned platforms are Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok, Kik, Reddit, Twitch and X. According to the law, these platforms must take 'appropriate steps' to prevent those under 16 from using their accounts or opening new accounts. Failure to comply with the law risks a maximum fine of 49.5 million Australian dollars (about 32 million US dollars).

Snapchat accounts under 16 will be suspended for 3 years or until the user reaches 16. YouTube will automatically sign out accounts of users under 16 from December 10. They will be able to watch YouTube without logging in, but their channels will not be visible. TikTok will deactivate all under-16 accounts from December 10, and content will no longer be viewable.

Twitch will be banned from opening new accounts from December 10, but old accounts will be closed from January 9. Meta (Instagram, Facebook, Threads) - Accounts of users under 16 have started to be removed from December 4. Reddit – suspending accounts of users under 16. X and Kik – have not yet announced their full plans.

Currently exempt from the ban are Discord, GitHub, Google Classroom, Lego Play, Messenger, Pinterest, Roblox, Steam, Steam Chat, WhatsApp and YouTube Kids. However, many are calling the exclusion of Roblox in particular a controversial decision. Australia’s e-Safety Commissioner said Roblox is introducing new controls that will limit age verification and chat between peers.

Platforms are no longer relying solely on date of birth. They are using: live video selfies, email verification, government ID. According to data from a company called UT, which works with Meta, most users are choosing video selfies for age verification, which uses facial data points to determine an approximate age.

Reaction from children and teenagers: Many teenagers are moving to alternative platforms. An app called Yop says it has gained 100,000 new users in Australia since the ban was announced. Lemon-8 is also gaining popularity. However, the government is also monitoring these new platforms and will add them to the ban list if necessary. Experts fear that this could lead children to leave regulated platforms and move into more dangerous, ‘dark spaces’.

What happens next: The government will monitor the impact of the ban. It will be seen whether children are sleeping more, socializing more, taking less antidepressants, reading more, playing more sports and outdoor activities. But at the same time, it will be monitored whether children are moving into a more dangerous online world.

Six experts from Stanford University’s Social Media Lab are helping with the research on this whole issue. In addition, an independent team of 11 academics from the US, UK and Australia will review the entire process. The university said that the results of this study will be published for policymakers around the world.

CNN REPORT