Meta said it has deactivated over 750,000 accounts believed to belong to Australian teenagers under 16 since the country's social media ban took effect in December, as the government considers legal action against non-compliant platforms.
Meta announced on Thursday that it had removed 756,000 accounts suspected of belonging to Australians aged under 16 since Australia's world-first social media ban came into force in December. The figure comprises 462,000 Instagram accounts and 294,000 Facebook accounts deactivated between December and June, a significant increase from the 504,000 accounts the company had reported removing by January.
The removals come as Australia's internet regulator considers enforcement action against platforms including Meta-owned services for allegedly failing to comply adequately with the ban. In response to potential legal intervention, the government has proposed doubling the maximum penalty for non-compliance to A$99 million and expanding the regulator's investigative powers. Representatives from Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snapchat are scheduled to provide evidence to a parliamentary inquiry on Friday regarding the ban's implementation.
However, Meta's compliance efforts face scrutiny. Independent studies and Australian government data indicate that over 80 percent of under-16s remained active on social media platforms during the ban's first three months, suggesting widespread non-compliance across the industry. The platforms have publicly opposed the legislation, though Meta stated it is "meeting its obligations under the law" and shares the government's goal of protecting young people online.
Meta said it uses artificial intelligence to identify underage accounts by analyzing profile details such as birthday celebrations and school grade references, alongside user reports. The company has also restricted users from making repeated account creation attempts after deletion. A 2025 Australian trial found that existing age assurance technology could effectively support the ban's enforcement, though most platforms initially rely on age inference based on user behaviour before deploying photo-based age estimation tools.
