Meta deactivated more than 550,000 profiles as Australia’s trailblazing law took effect on December 10, 2025.
The legislation prohibits children under 16 from using platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok and Snapchat, enforcing strict age checks with fines up to AUD 50 million for breaches.
Officials aim to protect youngsters from addictive algorithms and toxic content. Surveys show 96 per cent of 10- to 15-year-olds already use social media, with seven in ten exposed to violence, misogyny or self-harm material, and one in seven at risk of grooming.
In the first week of December 4-11, Meta removed 330,639 Instagram accounts, 173,497 on Facebook and 39,916 on Threads.
“We call on the Australian government to engage with industry constructively to find a better way forward, such as incentivising all of industry to raise the standard in providing safe, privacy-preserving, age appropriate experiences online, instead of blanket bans,” Meta stated in a blog post.
The firm advocates app store-level verification and parental consent options for uniform safeguards.
“This is the only way to guarantee consistent, industry-wide protections for young people, no matter which apps they use, and to avoid the whack-a-mole effect of catching up with new apps that teens will migrate to in order to circumvent the social media ban law.”
Support for the under-16 threshold hits 77 per cent in Australia, exceeding earlier polls. Unlike U.S. state or EU trials, it denies parental exemptions, drawing UK Conservative pledges to replicate it before 2029.
Experts note children easily evade checks by tricking systems or seeking unregulated sites. Mental health advocates and youth argue it severs vital links for LGBTQ+, neurodivergent or rural groups, hindering digital preparedness.