US EditionMeta Starts Kicking Australian Children Off Instagram and Facebook
Meta has locked out 500,000 Instagram and Facebook accounts of Australians under 16 to comply with a new law aiming for safer online experiences.
- Ahead of Wednesday, December 10, 2025, Meta began locking out under-16 Instagram and Facebook users in Australia, identifying about 500,000 accounts for removal.
- A government study earlier this year found 96% of children aged 10-15 used social media and seven out of 10 faced harmful content, prompting Australia’s government to impose a ban with fines up to A$49.5m.
- Meta told affected users to download and save content before accounts are shut, requiring anyone claiming to be over 16 to verify age with Yoti using a video selfie or government ID while acknowledging a margin of error.
- An estimated 150,000 Facebook users and 350,000 Instagram accounts will be affected; those notified can regain access after turning 16, while Messenger remains excluded from the ban.
- Observers say the world is watching Australia's world-first law as the law's enforcement begins, with Meta officials saying 'blanket bans bring challenges' and Wells defending it to protect Generation Alpha.
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The measure advances a week before the entry into force of the law. It is estimated that from this Friday, about 150,000 Facebook accounts and 350,000 Instagram accounts will be closed.
While Australia is about to ban minors massively from social networks, Meta and YouTube are warning about the limitations and paradoxes of an unprecedented global measure.
Meta has started disabling the accounts of teenagers under 16 on Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook in Australia, Reuters reports.
Meta has begun removing profiles of children under 16 from its platforms Instagram, Facebook and Threads in Australia, a week before an official ban on the use of social networks by teenagers in the country comes into effect, the BBC reports.
Australia is the first country in the world where the government has imposed an age restriction on Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and several other social media platforms.
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