Meta has shut down nearly 550,000 accounts to comply with Australia’s groundbreaking under-16 social media ban, which took effect on December 10, 2025. The removal included 330,000 Instagram accounts, 173,000 Facebook accounts, and 40,000 Threads accounts deemed to belong to children under 16.
Australia’s Historic Social Media Ban
Australia’s minimum age social media restriction represents the first such law implemented by a democracy worldwide. The legislation targets ten major platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X, Reddit, and Twitch. Platforms that fail to enforce the ban face fines up to $AUD 49.5 million (approximately $33 million USD).
The eSafety Commissioner’s office provides guidance on implementation, with platforms using various age verification methods including activity-based inference and selfie verification to determine user age.
Industry Opposition and Concerns
Meta has publicly opposed the ban, expressing concerns about isolating teens from online support communities and driving them toward “less regulated parts of the internet.” The company also cited inconsistent age verification methods and lack of compliance interest from teens and parents.
Reddit launched a lawsuit against the Australian government, arguing it shouldn’t be classified as a social media platform and raising concerns about “serious privacy and political expression issues” for users.
Implementation Challenges
Meta acknowledged in a Medium statement that “ongoing compliance with the law will be a multi-layered process that we will continue to refine,” highlighting the challenges platforms face in age verification without established industry standards. The scale of account removals—nearly 550,000 in just one month—demonstrates the significant impact on company operations and user bases.