Meta Targets Teen Accounts in Australia as New Ban Approaches

Beginning Thursday, Australian users of Facebook and Instagram who are under the age of 16 will be informed that their accounts are set to be deactivated by December 10. This action comes as Meta, the parent company of these platforms, aligns itself with the Albanese government’s recently imposed social media restrictions.

Those affected by the ban will receive notifications about their account deactivation through a combination of in-app messages, emails, and SMS. This notice period will last for 14 days, providing users time to prepare for the impending loss of access.

The new regulations will affect not only Facebook and Instagram but will extend to Threads, which requires an Instagram account for access. However, Messenger will remain available; Meta is developing a method to allow users to maintain access to Messenger without needing a Facebook account due to the new restrictions.

Starting December 4, Meta will begin disabling access for existing accounts belonging to users under 16 and will prevent these users from creating new accounts. By December 10, all affected accounts will have their access completely removed, according to statements from the company.

Teenagers whose accounts are deactivated will have the ability to download and save their posts, messages, and Reels. Upon turning 16, they will be allowed to reactivate their accounts or may choose to delete them entirely. Mia Garlick, Meta’s regional policy director, stated, “When you turn 16, and can access our apps again, all your content will be available exactly as you left it.”

Garlick further urged parents to assist their children in ensuring that the correct birth date is registered on their social media accounts.

Meta has indicated it will send notifications to all accounts it believes belong to users under 16. However, the company has not disclosed how it determines the ages of these accounts, aiming to avoid giving underage users insight into how they might circumvent the ban.

If an account holder who is 16 or older is mistakenly flagged as under 16, they can verify their age through facial age assurance, which involves submitting a video selfie, or by providing a government-issued ID via Yoti’s age assurance technology. Those seeking to change their age designation from under 16 to over must complete the age verification process.

Meta acknowledged that there might be inaccuracies in age estimation, as evidenced during trials of the age assurance technology. Despite these potential errors, the company maintains that this method is the least intrusive way to estimate a user's age.

On Wednesday, Meta reported that it was looking into a problem where users in Australia who identified their age as under 16 were unable to register for new accounts on Instagram. The company clarified that this issue was separate from the changes announced on Thursday.

While Meta is adhering to the ban, it continues to argue that its current settings for teenager accounts—designed to limit contact with others, restrict advertising, and provide parental controls—would be a more effective alternative to an outright ban. The company has also expressed a belief that age verification should be conducted through app stores.

Antigone Davis, Meta’s global head of safety, commented, “While we are working hard to remove all users who we understand to be under the age of 16 by December 10, compliance with the law will be an ongoing and multi-layered process.”

These new measures by Meta mark a significant shift in how social media platforms manage underage users in Australia. As the compliance deadline approaches, the ramifications of this ban will likely be felt across the digital landscape, raising questions about the future of teenage engagement on social media. As Meta navigates the complexities of this new law, its approach could set a precedent for how technology companies respond to age-related regulations globally.