The truth is far more encouraging. There are several promising trends that other countries are now building upon, reflecting the importance of Australia’s pioneering policies.
It started with a relatively smooth rollout. All 10 platforms took steps to verify users’ ages and remove accounts of those under 16. Now, fewer kids in the land down under are using social media, and more than a dozen other countries, including Indonesia, Canada, Malaysia, the UAE, France, Spain, and the U.K., are beginning their own journeys to rein in social media.
The world is, and should, follow Oz’s lead.
Early signs of success
When Australia’s law went into effect last December, 10 social media platforms—Facebook, Kick, Reddit, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, Instagram, Snapchat, X, and YouTube—removed 4.7 million under-16 accounts belonging to an estimated 2.5 million Aussies between the ages of eight and 15.
To be sure, that does not mean that these kids can’t access social media altogether, since many likely have several accounts across platforms. But it shows that the law made immediate progress and compelled platforms to take action on a massive scale.