Meta Notifies Young Australians of Upcoming Social Media Account Deactivations
Meta has begun informing Australian users aged 13 to 15 about the impending deactivation of their Facebook, Instagram, and Threads accounts, in compliance with new legislation banning under-16s from social media platforms starting December 10.
Meta has initiated notifications to Australian users aged 13 to 15, advising them to download their data and prepare for the deactivation of their Facebook, Instagram, and Threads accounts. This action aligns with Australia's forthcoming legislation, effective December 10, which prohibits individuals under 16 from maintaining accounts on specified social media platforms.
The Australian government announced that platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit, and Kick must take reasonable steps to exclude users under 16 by the December deadline.
Meta has estimated there are approximately 350,000 Australians aged 13 to 15 on Instagram and 150,000 in that age bracket on Facebook.
Users who believe they have been incorrectly identified as underage can verify their age through Yoti Age Verification by providing government-issued identification or a "video selfie."
The Australian government has cautioned platforms against implementing broad age verification measures for all users, emphasizing that such actions would be unreasonable and an invasion of privacy.
Non-compliance with the new law could result in fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (approximately $32 million USD) for the platforms.
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