Meta Removes 756,000 Underage Accounts in Australia as Teen Ban Enforcement Tightens

Meta Escalates Removal of Underage Accounts Amid Regulatory Pressure

Meta has deactivated 756,000 suspected underage accounts across Facebook and Instagram in Australia since the country's groundbreaking ban on teen accounts took effect in December. The social media giant removed 462,000 Instagram accounts and 294,000 Facebook accounts between December and June, a significant increase from the 504,000 accounts it had taken down by January1

1

. The company emphasized that enforcement is ongoing and these numbers will continue to grow as Australia's internet regulator considers potential legal action against platforms failing to adequately comply with the law.

The removals come as Meta faces mounting scrutiny over its compliance with Australia's world-first social media ban targeting users under 16, which came into force on December 10. Despite the platform's efforts, Australian government figures and multiple independent studies reveal that more than eight in 10 children under 16 remained on social media during the ban's first three months1

1

. This gap between enforcement actions and actual usage has intensified calls for stricter oversight and prompted Australia to double the maximum penalty for non-compliance to A$99 million ($69.75 million)1

1

.

AI Detection Systems Drive Account Identification

Meta is deploying AI detection systems to identify accounts potentially belonging to users under 16, moving beyond simple date-of-birth verification. The company's AI analyzes user profiles for contextual clues that an account may belong to someone under 16, such as birthday celebrations or mentions of school grades1

1

. This approach combines age inference—assuming a person's age based on their online activity—with analysis of user reports about suspected underage accounts1

1

.

The platform has also implemented measures to prevent children from immediately creating new accounts after removal. Meta removed the option for users to make repeated attempts to set up an account if their previous account was deleted1

1

. A 2025 Australian trial of age verification technology found that products on the market could effectively support the ban on teen accounts, with most large platforms rolling out photo-based age estimation software1

1

.

Parliamentary Hearing and Regulatory Oversight Intensify

Representatives from Meta, TikTok, YouTube owner Google, and Snapchat are scheduled to appear at a parliamentary hearing on Friday to provide evidence about their compliance efforts1

1

. Regulatory and government officials will also testify as Australia evaluates whether platforms have taken sufficient steps to meet their obligations under the law. The Australian government proposed the landmark legislation based on concerns about social media's impact on children's mental health and physical wellbeing.

Australia has accused platforms of intentionally setting the ban up to fail and has introduced legislation giving the internet regulator greater document discovery powers to investigate compliance1

1

. Meta stated it shares the Australian government's goal of ensuring young people have safe, age-appropriate experiences online and is meeting its obligations under the law1

1

. No other platforms have released compliance data matching Meta's reporting timeframe, making it difficult to assess industry-wide progress.

Could India Follow Australia's Lead on Online Safety?

While India does not currently have a nationwide law banning social media accounts for users under 16, the issue has gained traction among policymakers. Karnataka announced plans earlier this year to restrict social media access for children under 16, while Andhra Pradesh and Goa have also considered similar measures2

2

. At the central level, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is examining age-based approaches to online safety2

2

.

India's massive user base could make large-scale age verification and account removal significantly more challenging than Australia's implementation. Meta has hundreds of millions of Instagram and Facebook users in India, creating substantial hurdles for age detection, verification, privacy protection, and enforcement at scale2

2

. Parliament has seen proposals covering parental consent, children's online safety, and restrictions on personalized advertising targeting minors, suggesting that regulatory action may be on the horizon2

2

. As countries worldwide watch Australia's experiment with enforcing a ban on teen accounts, the effectiveness of Meta's AI-driven approach and regulatory oversight will likely influence future policy decisions globally.