Tech giant, Meta announced on Thursday that it has begun removing Australian users under the age of 16 from Instagram, Threads and Facebook, preparing for the enforcement of the country’s groundbreaking youth social media restrictions.
From December 10, major platforms, including TikTok and YouTube, must ensure under-16s are barred from having accounts, in line with new legislation. Firms that fail to take “reasonable steps” risk penalties of up to Aus$49.5 million (US$32 million).
A Meta spokesperson confirmed the company is pushing to identify and block younger users ahead of the deadline.
“While we are working hard to remove all users who we understand to be under the age of 16 by 10 December, compliance with the law will be an ongoing and multi-layered process,” the spokesperson said.
Under the new arrangement, young users can download their data, with Meta promising future access once they reach the required age.
“Before you turn 16, we will notify you that you will soon be allowed to regain access to these platforms, and your content will be restored exactly as you left it.”
The rules are expected to impact hundreds of thousands of teens, Instagram alone counts roughly 350,000 users in Australia aged 13 to 15.
Some services, including Roblox, Pinterest and WhatsApp, are exempt for now, though exemptions may change.
Despite signalling cooperation, Meta argued that app stores should bear more responsibility for verifying users’ ages.
“The government should require app stores to verify age and obtain parental approval whenever teens under 16 download apps, eliminating the need for teens to verify their age multiple times across different apps,” the spokesperson said.
“Social media platforms could then use this verified age information to ensure teens are in age-appropriate experiences.”
YouTube has also criticised the new law. The platform warned that children could still watch content without logging in but would lose protective filters, a claim dismissed by Australia’s communications minister as “weird”.
“If YouTube is reminding us all that it is not safe and there’s content not appropriate for age-restricted users on their website, that’s a problem that YouTube needs to fix,” Communications Minister Anika Wells said this week.
Wells pointed to cases where harmful algorithms contributed to teenage suicides by serving damaging content that eroded their confidence.
“This specific law will not fix every harm occurring on the internet, but it will make it easier for kids to chase a better version of themselves,” she said.
The Digital Freedom Project has filed a High Court challenge, calling the policy an attack on free speech and online rights.
Authorities acknowledge young users will likely attempt to bypass restrictions, possibly using fake IDs or AI tools to appear older.
Each platform must develop ways to deter such workarounds, although the online safety watchdog concedes “no solution is likely to be 100 percent effective”.
With global regulators closely watching, Australia’s approach could influence future safeguards elsewhere.
Malaysia and New Zealand have both signalled plans for similar under-16 bans in the coming year.
