Instagram and Facebook owner Meta is notifying Australian teens of account closures

Younger Australian teens on Instagram, Facebook and Threads have been told their accounts will be closed ahead of the country’s social media ban for under-16s.

Meta, which owns the three brands, said it has begun notifying users it believes are between 13 and 15 years old via text, email and in-app messaging that their accounts will begin deactivating starting December 4.

The ban in Australia comes into effect on December 10. It affects a number of platforms that also include TikTok, YouTube, X and Reddit.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the “world-leading” ban aims to “allow children to be children”. Meta and other companies oppose the measure but said they would abide by it.

The Australian Internet Regulatory Authority estimates there are 150,000 Facebook users and 350,000 Instagram teens aged 13-15.

Starting December 4, children under the age of 16 will no longer be able to create accounts on Meta’s social media platforms.

The company said it is asking young users to update their contact details so they are notified when they become eligible to open an account.

They can download and save their posts, videos, and messages before closing their accounts.

Teens who say they are old enough to use Instagram, Facebook and Threads can challenge the restrictions by taking a “video selfie” to use in facial age checks, Meta said.

They can also provide a driver’s license or other government-issued ID.

All of these verification methods were tested by the UK-based Age Verification Certification System (ACCS) earlier this year, in a report commissioned by the Australian state.

While ACCS said all approaches have their advantages, it added: “We have not found one universal solution that fits all use cases, nor have we found solutions that are guaranteed to be effective in all deployments.”

Social media platforms that fail to take “reasonable steps” to block under-16s face fines of up to A$50 million (£25 million).

“While we are working hard to remove all users who we understand to be under 16 by December 10, complying with the law will be an ongoing, multi-layered process,” Antigone Davies, vice president and global head of safety at Meta, told Reuters Financial.

Meta wants to see a law requiring people under 16 to get parental consent before downloading a social media app.

“Teenagers are resourceful and may try to circumvent age security procedures to access restricted services,” the company told Australian newspaper Seven News.

But she said: “We are committed to meeting our compliance obligations and are taking the necessary steps to comply with the law.”

Australian Cyber ​​Safety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant said the ban aims to protect teens “from the pressures and risks they can be exposed to while logging into social media accounts.”

In an apparent move to avoid being included in the ban, gaming platform Roblox announced this week that children under 16 will no longer be able to chat with adult strangers.

Mandatory age checks will be introduced for accounts using chat features, starting in December in Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands, and then in the rest of the world from January.