Overview
- Meta has begun notifying users it believes are 13 to 15, will start deactivating accounts and blocking new under‑16 sign‑ups on December 4, and expects removals to be complete by December 10.
- Australia’s law requires platforms to take reasonable steps to block minors or face penalties of up to A$49.5 million.
- Regulators estimate about 350,000 Instagram and 150,000 Facebook accounts held by 13‑ to 15‑year‑olds in Australia, and affected users can download their data or delete accounts; Messenger is not covered.
- Users flagged as underage can appeal by verifying age via a video selfie or government ID through provider Yoti, with Meta saying it will apply a data‑minimising, multi‑layered approach.
- Researchers and Meta acknowledge accuracy and privacy concerns in age‑assurance tools, while other platforms including TikTok say they will adopt multi‑layered methods as the policy draws interest from Europe and New Zealand.