Meta disables nearly 550,000 suspected under-16 accounts after Australian ban

Meta said it has removed access to almost 550,000 accounts believed to belong to people under 16, in its first compliance report a month after Australia’s under-16s social media ban took effect.

The company said the total included about 330,000 Instagram accounts, 173,000 Facebook accounts and nearly 40,000 on Threads. Meta described compliance as a "multi-layered process that we will continue to refine" and said it was taking the steps necessary to meet the law.

Meta also said it continued to speak with the Australian government to "find a better way forward" rather than "blanket bans", and urged constructive engagement to incentivise industry to raise standards for safe, privacy-preserving, age-appropriate online experiences. It said it will continue refining its compliance approach; the outcome of talks with government was not stated.

Key Topics

Tech, Meta, Australia, Instagram, Facebook, Threads