Meta closes 550,000 accounts in Australia

Meta has deleted nearly 550,000 accounts in Australia in the first week of the country’s new under-16 social media ban. Between 4 and 11 December 2025, the company removed 330,639 Instagram accounts, 173,497 Facebook accounts and 39,916 Threads accounts to comply with the Social Media Minimum Age Act.

The law, in force since 10 December 2025, requires platforms to keep under-16s off their services or face fines of up to AUD49.5 million (about $33.2 million). Meta argues the ban is missing its goal of improving safety, pointing to concerns from experts, youth groups and parents about cutting vulnerable teens off from online support, pushing them to less regulated services, and inconsistent age checks. The company says age verification should sit with app stores, which would have to confirm users’ ages and get parental approval before anyone under 16 can download apps. Meta is urging the Australian government to work with industry on alternatives to blanket bans.