Meta took down 7,56,000 Australian teen accounts as social media ban enforcement looms

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has deactivated over 750,000 accounts suspected to belong to Australian teenagers under the age of 16 since the country's first-of-its-kind law banning teen accounts came into effect in December. The company expects to take further action as potential regulatory intervention looms. From December to June, Meta deactivated 462,000 Instagram accounts and 294,000 Facebook accounts that were suspected to be controlled by underage users.

Despite the ban, a majority of Australian children and young teens remain active on social media platforms, as reported by both Australian government figures and various independent studies. This prompted the Australian government to introduce stringent penalties, including a doubling of the maximum fine for non-compliance to A$99 million ($69.75 million) and enhanced document discovery powers for regulators. The proposed law aims to protect children and young teens from potential harm caused by social media.

In response to the law, several representatives from Meta, TikTok, Google's YouTube, and Snap's Snapchat are set to appear before a parliamentary inquiry on Friday. They will be joined by regulatory and government officials. The company maintains that it is actively working to comply with the law and meet its obligations to ensure a safe and age-appropriate online experience for young users.