Meta to Deactivate Instagram and Facebook Accounts for Under-Sixteens in Australia
Beginning 4 December, Meta will block new registrations and remove existing accounts of users aged 13–15 ahead of national ban taking effect on 10 December
Meta Platforms has begun notifying Australian users it believes to be aged between thirteen and fifteen that their accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Threads will be deactivated by ten December, in compliance with Australia’s upcoming social-media age-minimum law.
From four December the company will start blocking new account registrations for under-sixteens and dismantling existing accounts, in a campaign it says will be complete by the deadline.
Affected users will receive a fourteen-day notice via in-app messages, emails and SMS.
Meta says those deactivated will have the option to download their posts, Reels, messages and other content, or to leave their account dormant until they turn sixteen and regain access—with content preserved.
Messenger is excluded from the ban, and Meta has created a workaround to allow younger users access to Messenger without an associated Facebook account.
The Australian law, the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024, requires social-media platforms to take “reasonable steps” to prevent children under sixteen from holding accounts on specified services.
Firms that fail to comply may face fines of up to A$49.5 million (approximately US$32 million).
The list of platforms covered was recently expanded to include Reddit and Kick alongside Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube and Snapchat.
Meta will use a “data-minimisation” age-assurance approach, employing signals such as age declared at registration, behavioural indicators and, where needed, age verification tools including a video selfie or government-issued ID via the third-party provider Yoti.
The company warns of potential errors in age detection but says this remains the least intrusive method available.
Meta has voiced opposition to the broader age-ban policy, advocating instead for parental-consent models or age verification at the app-store level, but states it will comply with the law’s requirements.
Australia’s e-Safety Commissioner has framed the measure as a world-first effort aimed at protecting adolescents from online risks.
Implementation challenges remain significant: platforms must prevent workarounds, detect mis-declared ages, and block new registrations from under-sixteens.
Meta and other firms say they are working to comply despite engineering and privacy hurdles.
The countdown is now underway in Australia as the regulation rolls out this December.
From four December the company will start blocking new account registrations for under-sixteens and dismantling existing accounts, in a campaign it says will be complete by the deadline.
Affected users will receive a fourteen-day notice via in-app messages, emails and SMS.
Meta says those deactivated will have the option to download their posts, Reels, messages and other content, or to leave their account dormant until they turn sixteen and regain access—with content preserved.
Messenger is excluded from the ban, and Meta has created a workaround to allow younger users access to Messenger without an associated Facebook account.
The Australian law, the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024, requires social-media platforms to take “reasonable steps” to prevent children under sixteen from holding accounts on specified services.
Firms that fail to comply may face fines of up to A$49.5 million (approximately US$32 million).
The list of platforms covered was recently expanded to include Reddit and Kick alongside Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube and Snapchat.
Meta will use a “data-minimisation” age-assurance approach, employing signals such as age declared at registration, behavioural indicators and, where needed, age verification tools including a video selfie or government-issued ID via the third-party provider Yoti.
The company warns of potential errors in age detection but says this remains the least intrusive method available.
Meta has voiced opposition to the broader age-ban policy, advocating instead for parental-consent models or age verification at the app-store level, but states it will comply with the law’s requirements.
Australia’s e-Safety Commissioner has framed the measure as a world-first effort aimed at protecting adolescents from online risks.
Implementation challenges remain significant: platforms must prevent workarounds, detect mis-declared ages, and block new registrations from under-sixteens.
Meta and other firms say they are working to comply despite engineering and privacy hurdles.
The countdown is now underway in Australia as the regulation rolls out this December.
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