In brief
In a response to Australia's impending ban on social media accounts for those under 16, Meta has begun notifying affected teenagers that their Instagram, Facebook, and Threads accounts will start closing on December 4. The regulation is part of a broader effort to protect youth from online risks. Following government directives, users aged 13 to 15 are encouraged to verify their ages to retain access. Meta's compliance will also involve new parental consent measures ahead of the December 10 enforcement date.
Younger Australian teenagers on Instagram, Facebook, and Threads are being told their accounts will be shut down ahead of the country's social media ban for under-16s.
Meta, which owns the three brands, said it had begun notifying users it believes to be between 13 and 15 years old by text, email, and in-app messages that their accounts would start being deactivated from 4 December.
The ban in Australia comes into force on 10 December. It affects a number of platforms which also include TikTok, YouTube, X, and Reddit.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the world-leading ban was aimed at letting kids be kids. Meta and other firms oppose the measure but said they would comply.
Australia's internet regulator has estimated there are 150,000 Facebook users and 350,000 teens on Instagram in the 13-15 age bracket.
From 4 December, children aged below 16 will not be able to create accounts on Meta's social media platforms.
The company said it was asking young users to update their contact details so they could be notified when they became eligible to open an account.
They can download and save their posts, videos, and messages before their accounts are shut down.
Meta said that teens who said they were old enough to use Instagram, Facebook, and Threads could challenge the restriction by taking a video selfie to be used in facial age scans.
They could also provide a driver's licence or other government issued-ID.
Social media platforms which fail to take reasonable steps to block under-16s face fines of up to A$50m (£25m).
In a move seemingly to avoid being included in the ban, gaming platform Roblox announced that children under 16 would be unable to chat with adult strangers.
Mandatory age checks will be introduced for accounts using chat features, starting in December for Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands, then the rest of the globe from January.
