Meta has removed more than 750,000 accounts it believes were held by Australians under 16 since the country’s world-first social media ban for teens took effect in December, the company said Thursday.
The figures cover the period from just before the law went live through to June. Instagram accounts deactivated in that window totalled 462,000, while 294,000 Facebook accounts were also taken down. Both figures represent a significant rise from the 331,000 Instagram and 173,000 Facebook accounts Meta said it had removed by January.
Australia’s Online Safety Act ban, which came into force on 10 December 2024, prohibits social media platforms from allowing accounts for users under 16. Meta, along with other platforms, publicly opposed the legislation but has since said it intends to comply.
The timing of the update matters. Australia’s internet regulator is weighing whether to pursue enforcement action against platforms it believes have not done enough to meet the law’s requirements, and Meta appears to be making its compliance record visible ahead of any potential proceedings.
The disclosures have limits, though. No other platforms have published comparable data covering the same period. And Australian government figures, supported by multiple independent studies, showed more than eight in ten under-16s were still on social media in the ban’s first three months, suggesting the practical effect of the law remains far short of its intent.
The Australian government brought in the ban citing concerns about social media’s effects on children’s physical and mental health.
