Meta said it had removed more than 750,000 Facebook and Instagram accounts suspected of belonging to Australians under 16, as the country’s internet regulator weighs enforcement action over its teen social media ban.
Meta said it had deactivated 462,000 Instagram and 294,000 Facebook accounts suspected of belonging to Australians under 16. The figures are up from 331,000 Instagram and 173,000 Facebook accounts removed by January.
Meta says it wants to comply with Australia’s under-16 social media ban, despite opposing the law. The country’s internet regulator is considering legal action against platforms it says have failed to comply.
No other platforms have released compliance data covering the same period as Meta, but Australian government figures and multiple independent studies have shown that more than eight in 10 under-16s were still on social media during the ban's first three months.
The Australian government proposed the landmark law, which came into force on 10 December, amid concerns about social media's impact on the physical and mental health of children and young teenagers.
Australia has accused social media platforms of deliberately setting the under-16 ban up to fail as other countries consider similar restrictions.
It has also introduced legislation to double the maximum penalty for non-compliance to A$99 million ($69.75 million) and give the regulator greater powers to obtain documents.
Representatives of Meta, TikTok, YouTube owner Google and Snapchat owner Snap are scheduled to give evidence on Friday to a parliamentary inquiry into the changes, alongside regulatory and government officials.
"Enforcement is ongoing, and these numbers will continue to grow," Meta said in a statement.
"We share the Australian Government's goal of ensuring young people have safe, age-appropriate experiences online, and we are meeting our obligations under the law," the company added.
A 2025 Australian trial of age assurance technology found that products already on the market could effectively support the ban.
Most large platforms, including those owned by Meta, rolled out photo-based age estimation software, although they say they typically first subject users to age inference, which estimates a person's age based on their online activity.
Meta said it was using AI to analyse user profiles for "contextual clues that an account may belong to someone under 16, such as birthday celebrations or mentions of school grades" and to analyse reports about suspected underage accounts.
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, acc...
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citi...
The 83rd Venice Film Festival has opened on the Lido, bringing Hollywood stars and leading filmmakers together for a programme dominated by war, po...
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he thinks there is a chance of a peace being reached with Ukraine. He told the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia that he believed there was "a chance of finding a solution," to the conflict.
The Iranian Health Ministry said at least 18 people were killed and 142 others injured in U.S. airstrikes carried out between 30 August and 2 September.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 3rd of September, covering the latest developments.
The Iranian Army has again struck at U.S. bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in retaliation for U.S. attacks on southern and western parts of Iran late on Tuesday, which reportedly killed 18 people and injured more than 100 others.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
Southern Chinese provinces were bracing for more torrential rain on Friday after Typhoon Saudel triggered severe flooding, swamping vehicles, collapsing at least one building and forcing mass evacuations.
President Donald Trump is leaving more than a paper trail from his time in office. The U.S. is now minting commemorative $1 coins for America’s 250th anniversary, featuring a portrait of the sitting president.
Pacific Island leaders expressed concern about China's Pacific missile test at their annual summit, though Nauru formally dissented, in a meeting largely overshadowed by Beijing's objections to Taiwan's presence.
China’s southern coastal provinces of Fujian and Guangdong are bracing for more torrential rain after Typhoon Saudel triggered widespread flooding, swept away vehicles and caused a three-storey building to collapse.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment