Meta to remove Australians under-16 from Facebook, Instagram on December 4 – Firstpost

Australians under the age of 16 will be kicked off Facebook and Instagram on December 4, tech giant Meta said on Thursday, as Canberra prepares to implement sweeping laws banning teens from social media.

From December 10, Australia will force social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to remove users under the age of 16 or face huge fines.

Meta said it would begin removing teens from its platform before the ban went into effect.

“Starting today, Meta will notify Australian users aged 13-15 that they will lose access to Instagram, Threads and Facebook,” Meta said in a statement.

“Meta will begin blocking new under-16 accounts and revoking existing access on December 4, with all known under-16 accounts expected to be removed by December 10.”

According to government figures, there are about 350,000 Instagram users aged 13–15 in Australia and about 150,000 Facebook accounts.

Meta has started warning affected users that they will soon be locked out.

“Soon, you won’t be able to use Facebook and your profile won’t be visible to you or others,” a message sent to affected users said.

“When you turn 16, we’ll let you know when you can start using Facebook again.”

Meta told them that teens will be able to access their accounts “exactly as you left it” when they turn 16.

heavy fine

Accounts that were flagged in error can verify their age by using a “video selfie” or by providing a government-issued ID.

Social media companies have previously described the laws as “vague”, “problematic” and “rushed through”.

Meta expressed its concerns again on Thursday.

“We share the Australian Government’s goal of creating safe, age-appropriate online experiences, but isolating teenagers from their friends and communities is not the solution.”

There is keen interest in whether Australia’s sweeping ban could work as regulators around the world grapple with the dangers of social media.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will introduce a similar bill to restrict children’s social media use.

And the Dutch government this year advised parents to prevent children under 15 from using social media apps like TikTok and Snapchat.

Social media companies caught violating the laws will have to pay fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (32 million US dollars).

On paper, the ban is one of the toughest in the world.

But some experts worry that the law will remain merely symbolic due to the difficulty of enforcing and controlling online age verification.