Meta says it shut down 750,000 under-16 accounts in Australia
Observers are watching for signs of whether the new rules are working but many Australian children have found workarounds
Meta Platforms has removed more than 750,000 Instagram and Facebook accounts in Australia that are believed to belong to individuals under the age of 16, according to a statement released on August 13, 2023. This figure comprises over 500,000 accounts that were removed before the country's landmark youth social media ban took effect in December, as well as those that were shut down since the law's implementation.
The company further disclosed that 462,000 of these accounts were Instagram profiles and 294,000 were Facebook accounts. Meta emphasized that enforcement efforts are ongoing, and these numbers will continue to increase. The company employs artificial intelligence-powered detection methods and other measures to identify and remove underage users.
The youth social media ban in Australia, which came into force in December, obliges platforms like Meta, Snap, and ByteDance's TikTok to prohibit under-16s from creating accounts or face penalties. While the ban has led to a slight decrease in underage usage, according to a July report by Australia's eSafety regulator, many Australian children have found ways around the restrictions or have not reached the age limit.
The regulator's findings suggest that the primary reason children continued to use age-restricted social media platforms was due to ineffective age assurance measures.
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