Meta will block all Australian users under the age of 16 from accessing Instagram, Facebook and Threads by 10 December, as the company moves to comply with a sweeping new law that bans minors from using major social media platforms.
The ban, which passed the Australian Parliament in November of 2024 is the first of its kind globally, requiring platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram to take “reasonable steps” to prevent children under 16 from holding accounts.
Companies that fail to meet the requirements face fines of up $33 million.
Meta said it has already begun notifying users it believes are between 13 and 15 years old that their accounts will be shut down. Alerts are being sent through in-app messages, emails and text messages.
Beginning 4 December, the company will start deactivating accounts and blocking new sign-ups from anyone under 16.
The company told lawmakers earlier it would act only once the law took effect, but on Thursday confirmed that age-screening efforts were already underway. Meta said it will use several age-assurance methods to identify minors and will follow a “data minimisation approach,” only seeking additional information when it doubts a user’s stated age.
Australia’s e-safety regulator estimates there are around 150,000 Facebook users and 350,000 Instagram users aged 13 to 15 in the country, though no figures have been published for Threads.
Meta said affected teenagers can update their contact details to receive notifications once they turn 16, download their data or delete their accounts.
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 17th of November, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Australia says it won't co-host the COP31 climate summit with Türkiye amid an ongoing stalemate between the two countries over which one should stage the United Nations conference next year.
Australia’s ambition to host the COP31 climate summit is under serious threat as a fierce competition with Türkiye heats up.
Thousands of users in the United States, some parts of Europe and South America on the X (formerly twitter) platform have reported being unable to access the site due to Cloudflare outage.
Emirates Airline is confident in Boeing’s plans for a larger 777X and has ruled out ordering Airbus’s A350-1000 at the Dubai Airshow.
Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler stated on Monday that it would take at least two months to reach initial conclusions and analyse the black box of a Turkish cargo plane that crashed in Georgia last week, resulting in the deaths of 20 soldiers.
Punjab’s modern political story begins in 1947. The end of British rule divided the region between India and Pakistan, leaving Sikh communities with a split homeland and unresolved questions about cultural and administrative protections.
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday talked up "high-level exchanges" in a call with Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi, hinting at a potential meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japan's new premier, Sanae Takaichi.
Russia's latest onslaught has led to the death of at least 20 civilians, leaving another 115 people injured while also triggering emergency power outages across Ukraine.
Iran's air force, heavily reliant on aging F-14A Tomcat jets, faces a growing technological gap as its neighbors rapidly modernize their air forces with advanced fighter jets and air defense systems.
A fresh wave of floods and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall in central Vietnam since the weekend has claimed at least eight lives, according to a government report on Wednesday. Traders have also cautioned that the extreme weather could disrupt the ongoing coffee harvest.
Japan’s tourism sector is bracing for heavy economic fallout after China warned its citizens against visiting, setting off a wave of cancellations that analysts estimate could cost the economy more than $14.23 billion a year.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum ruled out possible U.S. military intervention in the Latin American country on Tuesday, saying Mexico did not want it in its territory.
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