Instagram and Facebook begin shutting down accounts as Australia’s under-16s social media ban looms | Social media ban

Facebook and Instagram began shutting down the accounts of half a million users under the age of 16 on Thursday as the deadline for Australia’s social media ban approached.

The social media ban for under-16s is scheduled to come into force on December 10, but Meta warned users last month that it would start closing accounts from December 4.

The eSafety commissioner reported in February that the platform held nearly 150,000 Facebook accounts and 350,000 Instagram accounts held by people it understood to be between the ages of 13 and 15.

Starting Thursday, Meta will also begin blocking the creation of new accounts for users under 16 in Australia.

“Compliance with the law will be an ongoing, multi-layered process as we work hard to remove all users we understand to be under 16 by December 10,” a Meta spokesperson said.

“If you are under 16, you can still preserve and download your digital history on Instagram, Threads and Facebook.

“We will notify you before you turn 16 that you will soon be allowed to access these platforms again and your content will be restored exactly as you left it.”

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Additionally, those under the age of 16 will no longer be able to have an account on Threads due to the requirement to have an Instagram account to use Threads.

Meta did not disclose the number of Threads users, but it may be a subset of the number of Instagram account holders.

Last month, Meta began notifying users who appeared to be under 16 about pending account deactivation and challenged methods for those it mistakenly detected to be under 16.

Communications minister Anika Wells told the National Press Club on Wednesday that if a child had a social media account on December 10 “then that platform is breaking the law” but acknowledged it would take time for the “age security filter” to filter out existing accounts and stop new accounts being created.

“Most parents, caregivers and teachers I talk to don’t expect perfection, but they tell me: ‘Thank you for trying this, don’t hold back!'” she said.

“Raising the minimum age to have a social media account is not a cure, it’s a treatment plan. And it can’t be set and forgotten. We can’t be static in dynamic environments, because technology certainly isn’t.”

The platforms face fines of $49.5 million for failing to take reasonable steps to prevent people under the age of 16 from holding accounts.

eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant said Tuesday night that she would monitor upcoming platforms on Dec. 10, but would take a “tiered risk and consequences-oriented approach to compliance and enforcement, focusing on platforms with the highest proportions of underage users,” according to Senate estimates Tuesday night.

Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Snapchat, X, Reddit, Kick, Twitch and YouTube have all been determined by the government to implement the ban by next week.

All companies except X and Reddit said they would comply with the ban. Both were approached for comment.