Overview
- Australia’s law, in force since December 10, requires major social and streaming platforms to bar users under 16 or face penalties up to A$49.5 million for failing to take reasonable measures.
- Meta reports removing 331,000 Instagram accounts, 173,000 on Facebook and 40,000 on Threads in the week before December 11 as part of its compliance efforts.
- The company calls for constructive collaboration with government to raise standards for age‑appropriate safety and privacy rather than relying on broad prohibitions.
- Meta asks that platforms be required to verify user ages and secure parental consent before under‑16s can download apps, arguing this would deter shifts to less‑regulated services.
- The Australian government says platforms are responsible for harms to young people and should use the extensive data they collect to ensure under‑16s are not on their services.