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

Attendees visit the Meta booth at the Game Developers Conference 2023 in San Francisco on March 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Australians younger than 16 will be removed from Facebook and Instagram on December 4, tech giant Meta said Thursday, as Canberra prepares to enforce 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 hefty fines.

Meta said that it would start removing teenagers from its platforms ahead of the ban coming into force.

“From today, Meta will be notifying Australian users it understands to be 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 from 4 December, expecting to remove all known under-16s by 10 December.”

There are around 350,000 Instagram users aged between 13-15 in Australia and around 150,000 Facebook accounts, according to government figures.

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

“Soon, you’ll no longer be able to use Facebook and your profile won’t be visible to you or others,” reads a message sent to impacted users.

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

Teenagers will be able to access their accounts “exactly as you left it” once they turn 16, Meta told them.

Hefty fines

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

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

Meta again voiced its concerns on Thursday.

“We share the Australian Government’s goal of creating safe, age-appropriate online experiences, but cutting teens off from their friends and communities isn’t the answer.”

There is keen interest in whether Australia’s sweeping restrictions can work as regulators around the globe wrestle with the dangers of social media.

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

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

Social media companies caught flouting the laws will face fines of up to Aus$49.5 million (US$32 million).

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

But some experts are concerned that the law will be merely symbolic because of the difficulty in implementing and policing online age verification.