Australia Takes Action to Implement a Social Media Ban for Under-16s While Meta Starts Closing Teen Accounts

Australia has begun to deactivate under-16s’ Meta accounts as a result of a new rule that restricts children access to popular social media sites.

Younger Australian teenagers who use Facebook, Instagram, and Threads are being informed that their accounts will soon be deleted in anticipation of the nation’s historic prohibition on under-16s using social media. The three platforms’ owner, Meta, has started notifying users it considers to be between the ages of 13 and 15 by text, email, and in-app communications. Before the law goes into effect on December 10th, the business stated that deactivations would start on December 4th.

The goal of the “world-leading” prohibition, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has put it, is to “let kids be kids” and lessen the pressure that youth face online. In addition to Meta’s platforms, TikTok, YouTube, X, and Reddit are also covered. Approximately 150,000 Facebook users and 350,000 Instagram users between the ages of 13 and 15 are estimated by Australia’s internet regulator.

Account creation on Meta’s platforms will no longer be available to minors under the age of sixteen as of December 4. To ensure they are informed when they are old enough to return, the business is asking impacted consumers to update their contact information. Before their accounts are completely erased, teenagers are also permitted to download and store their conversations, videos, and postings.

Teens may contest the restriction by completing a facial age scan through a “video selfie,” according to Meta, if they think they are old enough to utilize the sites. They can also provide a driver’s license or official identification to prove their age. In an assessment commissioned by the Australian government, the UK-based Age Check Certification Scheme assessed these verification techniques earlier this year. Although the strategies have their advantages, the system pointed out that no one option was certain to work in every circumstance.

A$50 million in fines might be imposed on social media businesses that do not take reasonable measures to restrict users under the age of sixteen. According to Antigone Davis, global head of safety for Meta, the company is attempting to eliminate accounts belonging to minors before the deadline, but the compliance process will be “ongoing and multi-layered.” A system that requires parental consent before minors download social media apps has been proposed by Meta, who has cautioned that “teens are resourceful” and may try to get around age limitations.

The purpose of the prohibition, according to Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s e-Safety Commissioner, is to protect youth from the dangers and demands of social media use. The gaming platform Roblox has added new safeguards that prohibit minors under the age of sixteen from conversing with adult strangers in an attempt to circumvent being included in the ban. Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands will be the first countries to implement mandatory age checks for chat features in December, followed by the rest of the world in January.

According to official guidelines published by the e-Safety Commissioner, certain platforms are prohibited. YouTube, X, Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, and TikTok are among those impacted. Some of the platforms that are not covered are YouTube Kids, Roblox, Roblox, GitHub, Google Classroom, LEGO Play, Messenger, and YouTube.

With one of the strongest policies for online kid safety in the world, Australia’s action represents a major change in how governments may control youth access to social media in the years to come.