Sydney: The meta enforcement process has begun in Australia as the company has started removing users under 16 years old from Instagram, Facebook and Threads.
This action has come a week before the country’s new law banning under-16s from social media takes effect on 10 December. Meta has informed users aged between 13 and 15 that their accounts have been scheduled for shutdown from December 4.
An estimated 150,000 Facebook accounts and 350,000 Instagram accounts are expected to be affected. Threads, which can only be accessed through an Instagram profile, will also be restricted for under-16 users once account removals are completed.
Australia’s new law, the first of its kind in the world, requires platforms to prevent children under 16 from having accounts or face penalties of up to A$49.5 million. The government has said the measure aims to shield children from harmful content, predatory behavior and the impact of addictive platform design.
According to the company, having app stores verify users’ ages and require parental approval for minors would remove the need for separate age checks across each social media platform. Meta has said that affected users will be able to save their posts, videos and messages before their accounts are deactivated. Teens who believe they have been misidentified as under 16 will be able to request a review.
To verify age, they may submit a video selfie, a driver’s licence or a government-issued ID. Alongside Meta’s platforms, other major services impacted by the ban include YouTube, X, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, Kick and Twitch. YouTube, which was briefly exempt before being added to the list, has claimed the law is rushed and warned that removing teens from its platform will reduce safety by removing parental-control tools.
Communications Minister Anika Wells said the country expects adjustment issues in the early days of the ban but emphasised that the priority is safeguarding Generation Alpha. Wells noted that young people have been exposed to harmful material, cyberbullying and grooming-type behaviour at significant levels.
As the world watches Australia’s experiment unfold, the meta compliance rollout has marked one of the most significant shifts in digital policy affecting young users. The decision has sparked debate about safety, privacy and how far governments should intervene in online access for children.
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