Meta Kicks 756,000 Under-16s Off Its Social Media Platforms in Australia

CANBERRA, Aug 13: Meta has deactivated about 756,000 Facebook and Instagram accounts in Australia that it identified as belonging to users under the age of 16, as the country enforces one of the world’s strictest social media age restrictions.

As of June 30, Meta said 462,000 Instagram accounts and 294,000 Facebook accounts had been deactivated. Australia became the first country to introduce a nationwide minimum age of 16 for social media accounts, with the restrictions taking effect in December 2025.

Meta said more than 500,000 accounts had already been removed in the period leading up to the law’s implementation, with further accounts being deactivated in the months since. The company said enforcement remains ongoing and the number is expected to increase.

To identify potentially underage users, Meta said it uses artificial intelligence to analyze posts, comments, biographies and captions for clues that an account holder may be younger than 16. These can include references to birthdays, school grades and other age-related information.

The company has also made it easier for parents and other users to report accounts suspected of belonging to children below the minimum age. Those reports can then undergo AI-assisted reviews.

Meta said it has strengthened safeguards aimed at preventing users whose accounts were removed for being underage from immediately creating new accounts. It has also changed the Australian Apple App Store age rating for its platforms to 16+.

Australia’s restrictions come as governments around the world increasingly seek to limit children’s access to social media. France has introduced a nationwide minimum age of 15, while Spain, Malaysia and other countries are considering similar measures.

The Australian policy has intensified the debate over children’s online safety, privacy and the role of technology companies in enforcing age restrictions across social media platforms.