Social media Meta starts with exclusion of under-16s in Australia
Ahead of the ban on social media for children and young people coming into force next week, Meta has begun excluding under-16s. "However, compliance with the law will be an ongoing process," a Meta spokesperson said.
04.12.2025, 03:21
SDA
"We are working hard to remove all users we know to be under the age of 16 by December 10," the spokesperson for Facebook and Instagram parent Meta said on Thursday.
The Meta spokesperson went on to say that young users could save their history. "Before you turn 16, we will let you know that you will soon regain access to these platforms and your content will be restored exactly as you left it," the spokesperson continued.
Global pioneer
The social media ban for minors in Australia comes into force on Wednesday next week. The law obliges companies to remove the accounts of users under the age of 16. They face a fine of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars for non-compliance. However, it is still unclear how the implementation of the legal requirements will be monitored.
Australia is a global pioneer with this strongly worded law. It is expected that hundreds of thousands of young people will be affected by the ban. Instagram alone is said to have around 350,000 Australian users between the ages of 13 and 15.
In addition to Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat and Tiktok are also affected. The messenger services Whatsapp and Discord as well as the gaming platform Roblox have so far been exempt.
