In a move aligned with Australia’s unprecedented social-media regulation, tech giant Meta has commenced the removal of accounts belonging to users under the age of 16 from its platforms — Instagram, Facebook and Threads — as the country prepares to enforce a sweeping online-safety law. The new measures, driven by legislation due to take full effect by December 10, signal the first time a government has mandated a blanket ban on social-media access for minors.
Beginning December 4, Meta started notifying affected users — typically those aged 13 to 15 — through in-app messages, emails and SMS, giving them two weeks’ notice before their accounts are deactivated. The company said it will also block the creation of any new accounts by under-16s moving forward. According to Meta, the account purges and registration blocks are part of its efforts to comply with the law, though it described the enforcement as “ongoing and multi-layered.”
Under the new regulation, major social media platforms will face fines up to A$49.5 million (approximately US$32–33 million) if they fail to implement “reasonable steps” to weed out under-16 accounts. Users losing access will still have the option to save their online histories — posts, messages, reels — to external storage. Meta has pledged that once these users turn 16, their accounts can be restored exactly as they left them.
While Meta has accepted the need to comply, the company urged governments — including Australia’s — to instead require age checks at the level of app stores, ideally with parental consent before minors download social-media apps. The firm suggested this would reduce repetitive and platform-by-platform age verification burdens for teenagers.
However, the new law has sparked criticism from other tech players. YouTube — operated by Google — argued the move could make young Australians “less safe,” noting that under-16s will still be able to visit the site without accounts, but lose access to safety filters, personalized moderation and parental controls. The federal government, defended by Anika Wells, Communications Minister, dismissed YouTube’s criticism as insufficient to justify delaying the regulation.
Australian authorities say the ban aims to shield children from risks associated with social media — including mental-health dangers, online harassment and exposure to potentially harmful content. By mandating large platforms to restrict under-16 access, the government hopes to promote safer and age-appropriate digital spaces. Observers note that this landmark policy could set a global precedent, with other nations watching closely to see how the law plays out.
