META has begun restricting access for users under the age of 16 in Australia, effectively removing teenagers from Instagram and Facebook in a sweeping move to comply with the country’s new child-protection legislation.
Australia will, from 10 December, require major online platforms – including TikTok and YouTube – to bar under-age users from their services. Companies that fail to take “reasonable steps” to meet the new obligations face penalties of up to US$32 million (RM131 million).
AFP cited a Meta spokesperson saying on Thursday that the company had been working intensively to identify and remove under-16 users ahead of the deadline, but full compliance would unfold gradually.
“We have worked hard to remove all users identified as being under 16 before 10 December, but complying with the new law will be a layered and ongoing process,” the spokesperson said.
The company confirmed that affected young users would retain the ability to save and download their online histories.
“Before they turn 16, we will notify them that access to the platform will be restored and that their content will be reinstated as before,” the spokesperson added.
Hundreds of thousands of teenagers are expected to be impacted, with an estimated 350,000 users aged between 13 and 15 currently on Instagram in Australia.
Some platforms, including Roblox, Pinterest and WhatsApp, have been exempted from the age-restriction requirements, although the exemption list remains under review.
Meta reaffirmed its commitment to complying with Australian law but urged app marketplaces to shoulder greater responsibility for age verification.
The spokesperson said the government should require app stores to “verify age and obtain parental consent every time a user under 16 downloads an app,” arguing that such a system would avoid repetitive age checks across multiple platforms.
“Social media platforms can then use that verified age information to ensure young people have an experience appropriate for their age,” the spokesperson said. - December 4, 2025
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