Meta Deactivates More Than 750,000 Suspected Under-16 Accounts in Australia
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RIYADH, August 13 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) — Meta said Thursday it had deactivated more than 750,000 Instagram and Facebook accounts suspected of belonging to Australians under 16 since shortly before the country’s social media ban took effect.
The company removed 462,000 suspected under-16 accounts from Instagram and 294,000 from Facebook through June. By January, Meta had reported deactivating 331,000 Instagram accounts and 173,000 Facebook accounts.
Meta said it intends to comply with the law despite its opposition to the measure. Australia’s internet regulator is considering legal action against platforms it believes have not taken sufficient steps to meet the requirements, including services owned by Meta.
No other platform has released compliance figures covering the same period. Australian government data and multiple independent studies indicated that more than eight in 10 people under 16 continued to use social media during the first three months of the ban.
The law took effect on December 10 following concerns raised by the Australian government about the effects of social media on the physical and mental health of children and younger teenagers.
