Australia has begun deactivating the Instagram, Facebook and Threads accounts of younger teenagers ahead of a national ban on social media use for anyone under the age of 16.
Meta, which owns the three platforms, confirmed it had started notifying users it believes to be between 13 and 15 years old that their accounts would be shut down from 4 December.
The new law comes into force on 10 December and applies to major platforms including TikTok, YouTube, X and Reddit. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the measure as world leading and said it aimed to protect children by limiting their exposure to online risks.
Australia’s internet regulator estimates that Facebook hosts about 150 thousand users in the 13 to 15 age group, while Instagram has about 350 thousand. From next week teenagers below the age threshold will also be barred from creating new accounts on Meta platforms.
Meta said it was asking young users to update their contact details to ensure they can be notified when they become eligible again. They will also be able to download their posts, videos and messages before the shutdown takes effect.
Teenagers who believe they are old enough to stay on the platforms will be allowed to challenge the suspension by submitting a video selfie for facial age analysis or by providing a government issued identity document. These methods were tested earlier this year by the Age Check Certification Scheme, which found no single approach that works universally.
Companies that fail to take what the law calls reasonable steps to block underage users face fines of up to fifty million Australian dollars. Meta said it would comply but repeated its preference for a system that requires parental approval rather than a full ban.
Australia’s e Safety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the law seeks to protect children from the pressures and risks that often come with early social media use. In a related move, Roblox announced it would block children under 16 from chatting with adult strangers, with age verification rolling out in December in Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands.
The commissioner also published a list of affected and exempt platforms. Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X and YouTube fall under the ban. Services such as Discord, GitHub, Google Classroom, LEGO Play, Messenger, Roblox, Steam, WhatsApp and YouTube Kids are not included.
