Meta deactivates over 540,000 accounts following Australia’s under-16s social media ban

New Delhi: Meta has deactivated more than 544,000 accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Threads following Australia’s ban on social media use for under-16s. The company said this action took place between December 4, when deactivations began, and December 11, 2025, according to news reports.

Of the accounts deactivated, 330,639 were on Instagram, 173,497 on Facebook and 39,916 on Threads. Meta said in a blog post on Monday that “ongoing compliance with the law will be a multi-layered process that we will continue to refine, though our concerns about determining age online without an industry standard remain.”

The ban, announced by the federal government, applies to ten platforms: Twitch, Kick, YouTube, Threads, Facebook, Instagram, Snap, X, TikTok and Reddit, all of which implemented age checks on December 10, 2025. The office of the eSafety commissioner requested data on account deactivations from these platforms but has not yet released figures, according to news reports.

The federal government has acknowledged that the ban will not be perfect immediately, and some teenagers reportedly found ways to bypass the restrictions, responding to the prime minister’s social media accounts.

A Twitch account set up by Guardian Australia to test the under-16s restriction was permanently banned last week, citing the policy.

As per the news reports, The federal opposition, which had previously campaigned for the ban, said last week that its implementation had “fallen flat.” Shadow communications minister Melissa McIntosh told news outlets, “Many under-16 accounts have not been deactivated, while others that were initially removed have since become active again. New accounts are being created and the age-verification tools that the government assured Australians would be effective, have proven laughably easy to bypass with some makeup and good lighting.”

McIntosh added that children who lost access had migrated to other platforms such as Yope and Lemon8, which were not included in the ban. She noted that the government requires all platforms to self-assess whether the restriction applies to them and indicated it would approach other platforms should teenagers migrate elsewhere. Some platforms, including X alternative Bluesky, implemented age-assurance measures despite not being on the initial government list.

Australia’s social media ban is being closely observed internationally. According to news reports, the UK Labour government is under pressure to introduce a similar restriction, while UK Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said her party would support a ban for under-16s.

Meta reiterated its position on Monday, stating that while it is complying with the ban, it urged the Australian government to engage constructively with the industry “to find a better way forward” than a blanket restriction for ensuring age-appropriate online experiences.