The company says users will be able to regain their accounts in the same state when they turn 16.
Australia Blocks Social Media for Under-16s. Technology company Meta has announced that it will close Facebook, Instagram and Threads accounts of users under the age of 16 in Australia from December 4.
In September 2024, Australia had planned to ban under 16 children from social media.
The move is being taken under new rules from the Australian government, according to which the use of children under the age of 16 on any social media platform will be completely prohibited after December 10, and companies that violate it will be fined up to 49.5 million Australian dollars.
The government has instructed all social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, to remove all their underage users from the system by December 10.
According to Meta, notifications have been sent from today to users aged between 13 and 15 that their accounts will be closed soon. From December 4, new underage user accounts will not be allowed to be created, while all identified underage accounts will be closed by December 10.
The company says users will be able to regain their accounts in the same state when they turn 16.
According to government figures, there are currently about 3.5 million Instagram and 1.5 million Facebook accounts in Australia belonging to users aged 13 to 15. Australia’s strict law is also gaining attention globally.
New Zealand’s prime minister is preparing to introduce a bill to tighten restrictions on children’s social media use, while the Dutch government has advised parents to prevent children under 15 from using apps like TikTok and Snapchat.
