Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced on Thursday that it has removed more than 756,000 accounts suspected of being held by Australians under the age of 16. This action follows the introduction of a world-first legislative ban on teen social media usage, with the company promising further enforcement as it faces potential regulatory intervention.
The company reported that between December—when the Australian law took effect—and June, it deactivated 462,000 Instagram accounts and 294,000 Facebook accounts. These figures represent a significant increase from the 331,000 Instagram and 173,000 Facebook accounts the tech giant reported removing by January. Despite vocally opposing the legislation, Meta maintains it is working to comply with the law, even as Australia’s internet regulator considers filing an enforcement lawsuit against various platforms for allegedly failing to meet compliance standards.
While no other major platforms have disclosed compliance data covering this specific timeframe, independent studies and government figures indicate that more than 80 percent of Australians under 16 remained active on social media during the first three months of the ban. The Australian government enacted the law on December 10, citing concerns regarding the impact of social media on the physical and mental well-being of children and young teenagers.
Australia has accused major platforms of intentionally designing the ban to fail and has subsequently introduced legislation to double the maximum penalty for non-compliance to A$99 million (approximately $69.75 million). The new law also grants the regulator expanded powers for document discovery. Representatives from Meta, TikTok, Google, and Snap are scheduled to provide evidence at a parliamentary inquiry on Friday alongside government officials.
Regarding its ongoing efforts, Meta stated, “Enforcement is ongoing, and these numbers will continue to grow.” The company added that it shares the government’s goal of ensuring safe, age-appropriate online experiences for young people. To identify underage users, Meta utilizes AI to scan for contextual clues—such as school grade mentions or birthday celebrations—and reviews reports of suspected underage activity. Additionally, the company has removed the ability for users to create new accounts if their previous profiles were deleted for age violations.
A 2025 Australian trial of age assurance technology suggested that existing products could effectively support such a ban. Most major platforms, including those owned by Meta, have implemented photo-based age estimation software, though they typically rely on age inference—predicting a user’s age based on online behavior—as a primary screening method.
Facebook and Instagram owner Meta said on Thursday it had taken down more than 750,000 accounts it suspected were held by Australians aged under 16 since a world-first ban on teen accounts, and promised more action in
Source: Gulf Today
