Australia's Underage Social Media Ban: 4.7 Million Accounts Blocked by Tech Giants

• Tech giants have blocked over 4.7 million underage accounts under Australia's new social media ban for users under 16.
• The eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, stated that initial figures show platforms are taking meaningful action.
• Major platforms like Meta, TikTok, and YouTube are required to comply with the legislation, which came into force on December 10 last year.
• Companies face fines of Aus$49.5 million (US$33 million) for non-compliance.
• Meta reported blocking hundreds of thousands of underage accounts across Instagram, Facebook, and Threads, and called for app stores to verify ages.

Why It Matters: Australia's social media ban for under-16s has led to millions of underage accounts being blocked by tech giants.