Instagram, Facebook, and Threads have started alerting young users in Australia that their accounts will soon be disabled as the country prepares to enforce a nationwide ban on anyone under 16 using major social media platforms.
Meta, which controls the three apps, has already begun sending notices through email, text, and in-app prompts to users it identifies as being between ages 13 and 15. These accounts will start disappearing from 4 December, several days ahead of the new law taking effect on 10 December.
Australia’s ban covers multiple platforms, including TikTok, YouTube, X, Reddit, and others. Authorities estimate that roughly 150,000 Facebook accounts and 350,000 Instagram accounts belong to users in the affected age group. Once the deadline hits, children below 16 will be blocked from creating new accounts on any Meta-owned app.
Before accounts are wiped, affected teens are being encouraged to update their contact details so they can be informed when they become eligible to return. They will also have the chance to save their photos, videos, and messages before their profiles are deactivated.
Meta has outlined several ways for young users to contest the restriction if they believe they meet the age requirement. Those who wish to challenge the decision can verify their age by submitting a video selfie for facial age analysis or by uploading official identification such as a driver’s licence. These verification methods were tested earlier this year by the UK-based Age Check Certification Scheme, which found that each option had strengths but none was completely reliable in all situations.
Platforms that fail to block underage users face severe penalties, with fines climbing as high as A$50 million. Meta has stated that while it is working to remove all users under 16 before the law begins, maintaining compliance will require continuous monitoring.
The company has also indicated that it prefers an alternative legal framework in which minors would need parental approval before downloading a social media app. Meta acknowledges that many teenagers will likely try to bypass age restrictions but says it remains committed to following the law.
Australia’s e-Safety Commissioner says the nationwide restriction aims to shield young people from online pressures and risks linked to social media use. The impending change has already triggered adjustments by other platforms; Roblox, for example, recently announced that younger users will no longer be able to chat with unrelated adults, with mandatory age verification being introduced across several countries beginning in December.
The e-Safety Commission has released a list of platforms affected by the ban. Apps such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, Snapchat, YouTube, Threads, Reddit, and Kick fall under the new rule. Services outside the ban include Discord, GitHub, Google Classroom, LEGO Play, Messenger, Roblox, Steam, WhatsApp, and YouTube Kids.
