Australia: Meta has blocked more than 550,000 accounts across its platforms during the initial rollout of Australia’s landmark social media restrictions for children under 16, marking one of the toughest enforcement actions yet under the country’s new online safety laws.
The legislation, introduced in December, requires major platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Threads to prevent Australians under the age of 16 from holding accounts. The policy is being closely watched globally as governments explore stronger protections for children online.
According to Meta, 330,639 accounts were removed from Instagram, 173,497 from Facebook and 39,916 from Threads in the first week of compliance. The Australian government and child safety campaigners have defended the ban as essential to shielding minors from harmful content, addictive algorithms and online exploitation. However, technology companies and some experts argue that the approach may be overly restrictive.
In a blog post responding to the enforcement, Meta said it supports stronger protections for young users but criticised what it called blanket bans.
Meta continues to advocate for age verification to be handled at the app store or device level rather than by individual platforms. It argues that this approach would create consistent protections across the industry and reduce the risk of teenagers simply moving to newer or less regulated apps.
Meta added that, “This is the only way to guarantee consistent, industry-wide protections for young people, no matter which apps they use, and to avoid the whack-a-mole effect.”
Australia’s policy is currently the strictest in the world. While regions such as the European Union and US states including Florida have introduced measures to limit children’s access to social media, Australia is the first to set the minimum age at 16 without allowing parental consent exemptions.
The ban has gained strong support among Australian parents and has attracted international attention. The UK’s Conservative Party has already pledged to introduce similar measures if it returns to power.
However, critics warn that the restrictions may be easy to bypass. Experts point out that children can potentially evade age checks using false information, while others may migrate to less regulated online spaces that carry greater risks.
Some mental health advocates and young people have also raised concerns that the ban could deepen social isolation, particularly for LGBTQ+ youth, neurodivergent children and those living in rural areas who rely on online platforms for connection and support.
As enforcement continues, Australia’s approach is expected to play a critical role in shaping future global debates on child safety, digital rights and platform accountability.
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