Under Australia’s under-16 social media ban major platforms block 47 lakh accounts
Sydney: Major technology companies have blocked around 47 lakh accounts following Australia’s landmark ban on social media use by children under the age of 16, the country’s online safety regulator said on Friday.
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said early data indicated that platforms were taking concrete steps to remove underage users since the law came into force on December 10 last year. She said regulatory guidance and engagement with companies had begun to show results, though a full assessment of compliance would take time.
Under the legislation, large platforms including Meta, TikTok and YouTube are required to prevent under-16s from holding accounts. Companies that fail to take what the law describes as reasonable steps to comply face penalties of up to Aus$ 49.5 million.
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Reuters reported that Meta disclosed last week that it had removed hundreds of thousands of accounts across its services, including Instagram, Facebook and Threads, in the days following the introduction of the rules. The company, however, reiterated its position that app stores should be mandated to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent before minors are allowed to download social media apps, arguing that this would prevent teenagers from shifting between platforms to evade restrictions.
The eSafety Commissioner acknowledged that accurate age verification remains complex but said platforms are expected to strengthen their systems and prevent circumvention. She noted that while it is too early to conclude whether companies are fully compliant, the initial response suggests progress in reducing potential harm and reshaping online norms.
Ahead of the ban’s implementation, downloads of smaller platforms such as BlueSky and Lemon8 increased, though both services have since acknowledged that they fall under the legislation and are cooperating with regulators. Inman Grant said the fast-changing digital landscape makes it impractical to name every service covered by the law, adding that enforcement efforts would focus on platforms with the largest Australian user bases.
She said some children may still find ways to remain online, but stressed that the measure’s success should be judged by its impact on safety and behaviour rather than complete elimination of underage use.
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SC rejects plea alleging glitches in UMEED waqf portal, grants liberty to approach authorities
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a petition filed by a waqf mutawalli alleging technical and structural deficiencies in the Centre’s UMEED portal meant for uploading details of waqf properties.
Observing that the issues raised were largely administrative in nature, a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi dismissed the plea.
The bench, however, granted the liberty to petitioner Hashmat Ali, a mutawalli (caretaker) of a waqf, to approach the appropriate authorities for redressal of grievances.
“We see no ground to entertain this writ petition. The petitioner may be well advised to approach the prescribed authority for clarification or addressing of grievances for which liberty is granted,” the CJI said in the order.
At the outset, the CJI questioned the maintainability of the plea on the ground as to why it was filed in the top court directly. “Why did you not approach the high court?” the CJI asked.
Senior advocate Maneka Guruswamy, appearing for Ali, said the high court was unlikely to entertain the matter since challenges to the 2025 amendments to the Waqf law were already pending before the top court.
However, the CJI noted that the present petition did not raise any substantive constitutional challenge to the amendments, but was instead focused on “administrative difficulties” in using the portal. Such grievances, the court said, could be addressed by the high court or the authorities concerned.
The senior lawyer said apart from technical glitches, the petition also raised concerns regarding the classification of waqfs under the Waqf Rules, 2025.
She said that the category of 'Waqf by survey' had been subsumed under 'Waqf by user,' and that the UMEED Portal did not provide any separate option for 'Waqf by survey' in its drop-down menu.
Justice Bagchi noted that the ministry had clarified that 'Waqf by survey' stood subsumed within the 'Waqf by user' category.
Ali, a mutawalli from Madhya Pradesh, challenged the enforceability of the digital uploading mandate under Section 3B of the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995.
The petitioner alleged that the UMEED portal, notified under the UMEED Rules, 2025, was structurally defective and technologically unfit for registering waqf properties.
On December 1 last year, the top court had refused to extend time for the mandatory registration of all waqf properties, including 'waqf by user', under the UMEED portal.
The Centre launched the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) Act central portal on June 6 to create a digital inventory after geo-tagging all waqf properties.
According to the mandate of the UMEED portal, details of all registered waqf properties across India are to be mandatorily uploaded within six months.
