Meta shuts 756,000 Australian accounts of under-16 users under social media ban

Meta has closed 756,000 Australian accounts held by users under 16 since the country's world-first social media age ban took effect, the company said, with 462,000 Instagram accounts and 294,000 Facebook accounts removed between December and June. The figures mark a sharp rise from earlier tallies. Meta had previously reported 331,000 Instagram accounts and 173,000 Facebook accounts removed by January, indicating that enforcement has accelerated since the ban came into force. The Australian government implemented the restriction on December 10, citing concerns about the physical and mental health of children. Meta, which alongside other platforms had openly opposed the rules, said it sought to comply with the new requirements. Australia's internet regulator is weighing legal action against companies it says have failed to comply adequately, including certain Meta platforms. Independent research and government data have shown that eight in ten children under 16 continued to use social media during the first three months of the ban. As other countries prepare similar age restrictions, Australia has raised the maximum penalty for non-compliance to 49.5 million Australian dollars and then to 99 million Australian dollars, accusing platforms of deliberately undermining the ban.