Meta takes down 540,000 accounts due to Australian social media ban

SYDNEY - Meta has deactivated more than half a million accounts in Australia as a result of the world's first social media ban for under 16s, the company announced on Monday, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

Meta said between December 4 and 11, it took down 544,052 accounts it believed were held by users aged under 16.

This included 330,639 accounts on Instagram, 173,497 on Facebook and 39,916 on Threads.

Under the new law, which took effect on December 10, under-16s are no longer allowed to have their own accounts on 10 major social media platforms, including TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit and YouTube.

Affected companies were given a year to introduce age verification measures, and violations will result in hefty fines of up to AUD$49.5 million (US$33 million).

Meta said ongoing compliance with the law would be a "multi-layered process" that it will continue to refine.

"Though our concerns about determining age online without an industry standard remain," the company said in a blog post.

"As we've stated previously, Meta is committed to meeting its compliance obligations and is taking the necessary steps to remain compliant with the law."

Meta urged the Australian government to "engage with industry constructively to find a better way forward, such as incentivising all of industry to raise the standard in providing safe, privacy-preserving, age-appropriate experiences online, instead of blanket bans."

App stores should be required to verify age and obtain parental approval before children can download an app, Meta said.

"This is the only way to guarantee consistent, industry-wide protections for young people, no matter which apps they use, and to avoid the whack-a-mole effect of catching up with new apps that teens will migrate to to circumvent the social media ban law." - BERNAMA-dpa