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2w ago

Meta Begins Removing Under-16 Users in Australia Ahead of Dec. 10 Social Media Ban

Platforms face heavy fines unless they deploy age checks that experts say risk privacy intrusions.

A teenager poses for a photo while holding a smartphone in front of a Meta logo in this illustration taken September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
Image
A logon screen for Facebook and the new Meta policy are photographed in Sydney, Australia, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
The twitch logo is seen at the offices of Twitch Interactive Inc, a social video platform and gaming community owned by Amazon, in San Francisco, California, U.S., March 6, 2017. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage

Overview

  • Meta has started notifying Australian users it believes are 13–15 and will begin deactivations on Dec. 4, aiming to complete removals by Dec. 10 in line with the new law.
  • Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, X, Reddit and Kick are covered, while standalone messaging and some gaming or child-focused services such as Messenger, WhatsApp, Discord, Steam and YouTube Kids are excluded for now.
  • Government figures indicate about 350,000 Instagram accounts and 150,000 Facebook accounts held by 13–15 year olds could be affected, with access restored when users turn 16.
  • Teens flagged in error can verify age via a video selfie or government ID through services such as Yoti, though officials caution against blanket ID checks and researchers note accuracy limits in facial estimation tools.
  • Noncompliance can trigger penalties up to about A$49.5 million, as Meta presses for app-store-level parental approval systems while other countries, including New Zealand, consider similar measures.