Meta blocked nearly 550,000 accounts in first days of Australia’s under-16s social media ban

<p>Tech giant says ongoing compliance will be a ‘multi-layered process’ as UK Labour faces pressure to bring in similar ban for teenagers</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2026/jan/12/victoria-bushfires-adelaide-festival-writers-week-board-chair-resigns-anthony-albanese-labor-sussan-ley-coalition-ntwnfb">Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates</a></p></li><li><p>Get our <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?CMP=cvau_sfl">breaking news email</a>, <a href="https://app.adjust.com/w4u7jx3">free app</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/series/full-story?CMP=cvau_sfl">daily news podcast</a></p></li></ul><p>Meta has deactivated more than half a million accounts for teenagers across Facebook, Instagram and Threads as a result of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/dec/10/social-media-ban-australia-explained-banned-apps-list-guide">Australia’s under-16s social media ban</a>, the company has announced.</p><p>Just over one month since the ban came into effect, Meta announced on Monday that between 4 December, when the company began deactivating accounts, and 11 December, 544,052 accounts Meta believed to be held by users under 16 were deactivated.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jan/12/australia-u16-social-media-ban-meta-blocked-half-million-accounts">Continue reading...</a>

Read the full article at: The Guardian World →