Overview
- Meta has started deactivating accounts it believes belong to under‑16s and has blocked new sign‑ups for minors, with reports indicating roughly 500,000 accounts could be affected.
- From December 10, covered platforms face penalties up to about AU$49.5–50 million if they fail to take reasonable steps to keep under‑16s off their services.
- The eSafety Commissioner will require monthly disclosures of underage account removals, and the communications minister signaled initial leniency for verification disruptions.
- Platforms are turning to age‑assurance tools such as facial‑age estimation and ID checks, yet trials cited by officials show high error rates for 13‑ to 15‑year‑olds, raising privacy and data‑storage concerns.
- TikTok says it will comply with deactivations and allow appeals, while researchers and advocates report teens preparing workarounds such as VPNs, alternative apps, and using parents’ accounts.