Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, announced that it has deactivated 544,052 accounts believed to be operated by users under the age of 16 in Australia, following the country’s newly implemented social media ban for minors.
On December 10, Australia became the first country in the world to enforce a nationwide ban on social media use for children under 16. Under the new law, minors are prohibited from using or maintaining accounts on major platforms including Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, and others.
In a blog post published on Sunday, Meta stated that between December 4 and December 11, it deactivated:
- 330,639 Instagram accounts
- 173,497 Facebook accounts
- 39,916 Threads accounts
In its statement, Meta called on the Australian government to engage constructively with the technology industry:
“We urge the Australian government to work collaboratively with industry to find a better path forward—such as raising industry-wide standards for safe, privacy-preserving, and age-appropriate online experiences—rather than implementing blanket bans,” the company said.
Meta also emphasized that it remains committed to complying with the law, while reiterating ongoing concerns regarding online age verification without an agreed-upon industry standard.
The company noted that accurate and privacy-protective age assurance mechanisms remain a significant challenge in the absence of unified global or industry-wide frameworks.
