Meta Disables 550,000 Australian Accounts Amid New Age Limit Law
Digital
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Storyboard•27-01-2026, 16:53
Meta Disables 550,000 Australian Accounts Amid New Age Limit Law
- •Meta has deactivated approximately 550,000 accounts in Australia, including Instagram, Facebook, and Threads, to comply with the nation's new social media age limit.
- •The legislation, effective December 10, mandates platforms like TikTok and Instagram to prevent access for users under 16 or face fines up to A$49.5 million.
- •Australia is the first democracy to implement such a strict age mandate for digital safety, following growing global concerns over youth mental health.
- •Meta, despite complying, opposes the law, arguing it could push young users to less regulated platforms and advocates for a universal age-verification standard.
- •Companies are using automated behavior-tracking software and third-party age-estimation tools to identify and block underage users, offering options for data management to affected accounts.
Why It Matters: Meta disabled 550,000 Australian accounts to comply with a new law banning under-16s from social media.
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