Meta to Blockโฃ Under-16sโ from โInstagram and Facebook in Australia
Meta will begin blocking new accounts for users under the age of 16 and revoking access for existing users starting December 4th, with the aim of removing all known under-16 users by December 10th. Theโ move comes as โขAustralia implements sweeping new restrictions on social media access for children.
According to government โfigures, approximately 350,000 Instagramโฃ users and 150,000 Facebook accounts inโ Australia are currently held by individuals aged between 13 and โค15. Metaโ has already begun notifying impacted users that their access will soon be terminated.
A message being sent to users Metaโฃ believes are under โ16 โstates: “Soon, you’ll no longer โbe able to โuse facebook and your profile won’t be visibleโ to you or others,” and promises accessโฃ will be restored “When you turn 16, we’ll let you know that youโ can โคstart using facebook again.”
The ban โฃextends beyond Facebook and Instagram toโ include several other popular platforms,such as Reddit,Snapchat,Threads,TikTok,Xโ (formerly Twitter),and YouTube,as โoutlined by theโ Australian government.
however, the implementation of the ban has sparked โคconcern among youngโ people and advocates. Leo Puglisi, 18, โfounder ofโฃ youth โฃnews โฃserviceโฃ 6 News Australia, testified before an Australian senate inquiry, stating thatโข young people “deeply care” aboutโค the ban and its potential consequences. Puglisi emphasized the importance of โฃsocial media as a source of information for young people, arguing, “I think youngโ people do have the right to be โคinformedโฆ We’re saying that a 15 year old can’t access anyโฃ news or political information on socialโค media. I just don’t think that โขthat adds up.”
Australian Senator David shoebridge has alsoโ voiced โconcerns, noting that “an estimated 2.4 million young โฃpeople will be kicked offโค social media โคaccountsโฆ just as school holidays start.”โ He expressed worries about the potential impacts on young โฃpeopleS mental health and privacy, sharing his concerns in a recent post โon X.
John Pane, fromโข Electronic โFrontiers Australia, told โa senate inquiry that the legislation, while intended to protect young people from โฃ”unsuitable content,” creates โa “far greater, โคsystemic risk” of “potential mass collectionโ of children’s and adults’ identity data.” โPane warned this could increaseโ “the data stores andโ financialโข positions of โbig tech and big data and increasing cyber risk onโฃ a very notable scale.”
To verify age, asโค many Australiansโข under 16 lackโค official governmentโ ID, social media companies are reportedly planning to require some users to submit videoโค recordings as proof of age.
australia’s approach is drawing international attention, with other countries considering similar measures. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon plans to introduce a bill mirroring the restrictions. Indonesia is also preparingโฃ legislation to safeguard young people from “physical, mental, โฃor โmoral perils” related to social media use. In Europe, the Dutch government has advised parents to prohibit children under 15 from using apps like โTikTokโข and Snapchat.
