Meta shut down more than 550,000 accounts estimated to belong to users under 16 in response to Australia's social media (SNS) rules. While saying it will comply with the law, the company publicly pushed back against the government measures, questioning their effectiveness in protecting teenagers.
On the 11th (local time), according to Bloomberg and AFP, Meta said in a blog post that it deleted a total of more than 550,000 accounts in Australia, including about 330,000 Instagram accounts, about 173,000 Facebook accounts, and about 40,000 Threads accounts. The move follows the Australian government's effective ban on SNS use by those under 16 starting last month.
Meta said it is doing its best to comply with the law, but argued that blocking access to specific SNS platforms only pushes teenagers to other apps and offers little real protection. It said this could lead only to a so-called "whack-a-mole effect."
Meta said it would be more effective to verify age at the app installation stage and require parental consent for users under 16, and emphasized that, rather than an outright ban, policies should be designed to strengthen privacy and age-appropriate online experiences. It also urged the Australian government to pursue constructive cooperation with the industry.
Since on the 10th of last month, Australia has implemented the world's first system that fully restricts SNS use by those under 16. Under the rules, major SNS platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, and TikTok must delete the accounts of users under 16 or deactivate them until they turn 16, and violations can result in fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars.