Meta has removed more than 756,000 Facebook and Instagram accounts it suspected belonged to Australians under 16 between December 2025 and June 2026, as Australia enforces its world-first social media minimum-age law. The figure includes about 462,000 Instagram accounts and 294,000 Facebook accounts. The removals come amid growing scrutiny from Australia’s internet regulator, eSafety, which is considering enforcement action against platforms it believes have not taken sufficient steps to keep under-16s off their services.
Meta says it is using artificial intelligence (AI), age-estimation tools and account activity to identify potentially underage users, while insisting that it is meeting its legal obligations. The company and other major platforms, including TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat, are due to face parliamentary questioning as Australia assesses whether the landmark restrictions are working.
756,000 Accounts Removed
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said it had deactivated 462,000 suspected under-16 Instagram accounts and 294,000 Facebook accounts from shortly before the restrictions came into effect in December through June. The number represents a substantial increase from January, when Meta reported removing around 331,000 Instagram and 173,000 Facebook accounts.
The company says its enforcement process goes beyond simply checking the age users enter when creating an account. Meta is using AI to identify clues suggesting that an account may belong to someone under 16, including references to school grades, birthday celebrations and other activity patterns. It also considers reports about suspected underage accounts. Meta said it has introduced measures to prevent people whose accounts were removed from simply creating another account.
“Enforcement is ongoing, and these numbers will continue to grow,” Meta said, adding that it shares the Australian Government’s goal of ensuring young people have “safe, age-appropriate experiences online”. The company also said it is meeting its obligations under Australian law.
Australia Tightens Oversight
Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age law came into effect on 10 December 2025, requiring age-restricted platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under 16 from creating or keeping accounts. The policy was introduced over concerns about the potential impact of social media on children’s physical and mental wellbeing. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, X, Reddit and several other services are covered by the restrictions.
However, removing hundreds of thousands of accounts has not ended concerns about compliance. Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, said in March that the regulator had found “major gaps” in the way some platforms were implementing the rules. eSafety raised concerns about repeated attempts to pass age checks, inadequate reporting systems and insufficient safeguards against new under-16 accounts being created.
Grant said the regulator was moving towards an “enforcement stance”, stressing that platforms must demonstrate that they have put appropriate systems and processes in place rather than merely showing that some children have been removed. The Australian Government has also moved to strengthen enforcement powers, with proposed changes increasing the maximum penalty for non-compliance to A$99 million and giving regulators greater powers to obtain documents.
The challenge is underscored by early evidence suggesting that the ban has not completely prevented under-16s from accessing social media. Government figures and independent studies cited by Reuters indicate that more than eight in 10 under-16s remained on social media during the ban’s first three months, raising questions about whether account removals alone can deliver the intended protection.
Representatives from Meta, TikTok, Google-owned YouTube and Snap are scheduled to appear before a parliamentary inquiry on Friday, alongside government and regulatory officials. Their evidence is expected to provide further insight into how platforms are identifying underage users, how children may be bypassing safeguards and whether Australia’s approach requires stronger enforcement or improved technology.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Australia’s experiment reflects a difficult but increasingly urgent global conversation: how do we protect children from genuine online harms without treating young people simply as problems to be removed from digital spaces? Platforms have a responsibility to build safer systems, be transparent about how age checks work and respond meaningfully when safeguards fail. Governments, meanwhile, must ensure that regulation is evidence-based, proportionate and respectful of privacy.
Young people and families also deserve to be part of the conversation rather than having decisions made entirely around them. A safer internet cannot be created by technology or legislation alone; it requires cooperation between governments, technology companies, parents, educators and young users themselves. As Australia continues to test this unprecedented approach, can stronger regulation and responsible technology work together to create a safer digital environment without compromising young people’s rights and privacy?
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