Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta has removed approximately 550,000 user accounts across its platforms during the initial implementation phase of Australia’s new teen social media ban.
BBC News reports that Meta has disclosed that it blocked around 550,000 accounts in the first week of enforcing Australia’s groundbreaking social media ban targeting users under 16 years of age. The company’s compliance efforts resulted in 330,639 Instagram accounts being blocked, 173,497 Facebook accounts removed, and 39,916 Threads accounts eliminated as the new regulations took effect.
The legislation, which commenced in December, mandates that major social media platforms prevent Australian children and teenagers under the age of 16 from maintaining accounts. This requirement applies to widely used services including Instagram and Facebook, both owned by Meta, along with other popular social networking sites.
Breitbart News previously reported that parents around the world are interest in similar teen social media bans in their countries:
Many parents have expressed frustration with the constant battle to monitor and control their children’s online activities. Israel Pèrez, a designer in Barcelona, shared his struggles with his 14-year-old daughter, who regularly circumvents the parental controls he has put in place to limit her social media use. Pèrez believes that an Australia-like law would help establish new social norms and provide parents with more support in resisting the pervasive online culture.
In Denmark, Anne Kroijer, a mother of four, took matters into her own hands by convincing a majority of parents in her eldest daughter’s class to purchase basic flip phones instead of smartphones for their children. Kroijer, who founded a group to help parents reduce their children’s social media use, believes that the Danish government’s plan to block those under 15 from using social media, with the option for parental consent from age 13, is a step in the right direction.
The Australian government and advocacy groups have defended the ban as an essential safeguard to protect young people from exposure to harmful content and potentially damaging algorithmic recommendations. The policy has garnered significant attention from governments worldwide who are monitoring its implementation and effectiveness.
Despite complying with the new requirements, Meta has expressed reservations about the approach taken by Australian lawmakers. In a blog post addressing the situation, the company acknowledged the need for enhanced protections for young users but advocated for alternative solutions. Meta called upon the Australian government to work collaboratively with the technology industry to develop what it considers more effective strategies.
The company has specifically proposed that age verification should occur at the app store level rather than on individual platforms. Meta argues this approach would reduce the compliance burden on both regulatory authorities and the applications themselves. Additionally, the company suggested creating provisions that would allow parental consent as an exception to the ban.
Meta contends that implementing age verification at the app store level represents the sole method to ensure uniform, industry-wide protections for young people regardless of which applications they utilize. The company warned of a potential scenario where young users simply migrate to alternative platforms to circumvent the restrictions, creating an enforcement challenge for regulators.
Australia’s legislation stands out internationally as the most stringent of its kind. While various governments have explored methods to limit children’s social media access, including the US state of Florida and the European Union, Australia has set a higher age threshold of 16 years. More significantly, the Australian law does not include any exemption for parental approval, distinguishing it from similar policies in other jurisdictions.
The ban has proven extremely popular among Australian parents and has attracted interest from political leaders in other countries. The Conservative Party in the United Kingdom has announced plans to implement comparable restrictions if they secure victory in the next general election, which must occur before 2029.
Read more at BBC News here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
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