Meta removes 750,000 under-16 accounts in Australia after social media ban

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has removed more than 750,000 accounts in Australia that it suspected were being used by people under the age of 16, as the company faces growing scrutiny over compliance with the country's landmark social media restrictions.

Between December, when Australia's under-16 social media ban came into effect, and June, Meta deactivated around 462,000 suspected underage Instagram accounts and 294,000 Facebook accounts. The figures are a sharp increase from the 331,000 Instagram and 173,000 Facebook accounts the company said it had removed by January.

Australia's social media restrictions came into force on December 10, making the country the first to introduce a nationwide minimum age requirement of 16 for social media platforms.

Meta has opposed the legislation but said it is committed to complying with the law. The company now faces additional pressure as Australia's internet regulator considers legal action against several platforms, including Meta-owned services, over alleged failures to take adequate measures to enforce the restrictions.

Meta's figures cover a specific period, and other major platforms have not released comparable data. Government figures and several independent studies, however, indicate that the restrictions have not completely prevented younger teenagers from accessing social media. More than eight in 10 under-16s were reportedly still using social media during the first three months of the ban.

The Australian government introduced the legislation over concerns about the effects of social media on the physical and mental well-being of children and young teenagers.

The latest figures from Meta are likely to add to the debate over whether platforms are doing enough to keep under-16 users off their services and how effectively Australia's new law can be enforced.