A bold move by Meta of removing half a million Australian children from Instagram and Facebook ahead of the December 10 deadline. The world's first under-16 social media ban carries A$49.5M in fines if companies fail to comply.
This step comes after the Australian government passed legislation aimed at regulating how social media platforms manage young users. The law is designed to protect children from online harm and limit their exposure to harmful content, as well as reduce risks like cyberbullying. But what’s the compliance deadline? It’s December 10. Platforms that fail to take reasonable steps to enforce the age limit face massive fines. Therefore, Meta is acting fast to avoid that steep penalty.
The Mass Exodus from Instagram and Facebook
The move specifically targets users aged 13 to 15. The eSafety Commissioner estimates that the number of accounts belonging to genuine Australian children in this age group stands at around 500,000.
About 350,000 of those accounts were on Instagram. An additional 150,000 were on Facebook. Threads is also impacted since it requires an Instagram account to operate. This is why Meta started the deactivation process earlier this week.
Communications Minister Anika Wells said,
“With one law, we can protect Generation Alpha from being sucked into purgatory by the predatory algorithms described by the man who created the feature as behavioural cocaine.”
Under-16s users are receiving notifications. Their accounts are being shut down. But there is a small silver lining. Australian children affected can save and download their entire digital history from Instagram and Facebook. Meta also promises to restore all content and platform access once the user turns 16. Until then, these Under-16s are locked out.
Age Verification Challenges and Privacy Concerns
Users flagged as potentially being under 16 were asked to verify their age. This often requires providing some form of identity documentation or using video selfie verification. It’s not just Meta involved in this social media ban. The new Australian law requires several major platforms to comply. This includes YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, and Twitch. Nearly everyone is on board to enforce the age minimum.
The government acknowledges that teens in Australia will try to find ways to secure their accounts. They might try to use fake IDs or AI-generated photos to appear older. The platforms are expected to devise their own methods to stop this. No solution will be "100 percent effective," according to the internet safety watchdog.
Australia’s Teen Social Media Ban: Why It Matters?
The Australian government insists the social media ban protects underage children. Wells pointed to cases where algorithms targeted teens with harmful content. Some Australian children have died by suicide after exposure to damaging material.
The government has cited studies showing that social media can have a harmful effect on young people’s mental health, increasing anxiety and depression rates. This is particularly concerning as children as young as 13 are currently allowed to access social media platforms, and many lie about their age to create accounts. The new law mandates stricter age verification systems, ensuring that children under 16 are removed, thus enforcing more stringent controls over who can access these platforms.
The world is watching Australia. Many global regulators are wrestling with the same problems. Countries like Malaysia and New Zealand are already planning similar bans for under-16s. If Meta can successfully implement this massive compliance effort across Instagram and Facebook, it will set a benchmark for youth social media ban legislation globally.
Meet Manish Chandra Srivastava, the Strategic Content Architect & Marketing Guru who turns brands into legends. Armed with a Marketer's Soul, Manish has dazzled giants like Collegedunia and Embibe before becoming a part of MobileAppDaily. His work is spotlighted on Hackernoon, Gamasutra, and Elearning Industry.
Beyond the writer’s block, Manish is often found distracted by movies, video games, artificial intelligence (AI), and other such nerdy stuff. But the point remains, if you need your brand to shine, Manish is who you need.
