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Australian regulator defends claim of 4.7m under-16 account removals

By Saloni Sinha ( February 11, 2026, 06:10 GMT | Insight) -- The claim that about 4.7 million social-media accounts believed to belong to under-16s were restricted within days of Australia’s new laws taking effect was based on legally binding disclosures from the companies, the online safety regulator said, after the figure was challenged. In a parliamentary hearing that ran late on Tuesday, Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant told lawmakers that the restriction of 4.7 million social-media accounts, a “point-of-time” figure was “a stunning success” of the new Social Media Minimum Age law that took effect on Dec. 10, 2025.The claim that about 4.7 million social-media accounts believed to belong to under-16s were restricted within days of Australia’s new law taking effect was based on legally binding disclosures from the companies, the online safety regulator said after the figure was challenged....

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