Australian Under-16 Social Media Ban

SYDNEY: In a massive operation to comply with Australia’s world-first social media ban for children under 16, Meta has begun removing young users from its major platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Threads. This aggressive enforcement comes a week ahead of the 10 December official deadline, after which companies face crippling fines of up to A$49.5 million (£25 million) for failing to take “reasonable steps” to prevent underage access.

An estimated 150,000 Facebook accounts and a staggering 350,000 Instagram accounts are expected to be affected by the shutdown. Since Threads requires an Instagram account, those users will also be inaccessible.

A Meta spokesperson confirmed to the BBC that “compliance with the law will be an ongoing and multi-layered process.” While committed to following the regulation, the tech giant argued for a more efficient, standardized solution to age verification.

Meta proposes that the government should require app stores to handle age verification and parental consent at the point of download. This, Meta contends, would eliminate the need for teens to verify their age repeatedly across dozens of different apps.

For teens identified as under 16, Meta offered a period to download and save their posts, videos, and messages before deactivation. Users who believe they have been wrongly categorized have an avenue for review, which includes submitting a “video selfie” or government-issued identification for age verification.

The Australian law targets all major social media sites, including X, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, Kick, and Twitch. YouTube, which was initially exempt but later included, has labeled the law as “rushed,” claiming that removing parental controls inherent in official accounts could paradoxically make their platform “less safe.”

Australia’s regulatory move, designed to protect children from the documented harms of social media—including exposure to violent, misogynistic, and suicidal content—is now being closely watched by global leaders considering similar legislative action.