Meta Pushes Back as Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban Triggers Mass Account Purge

 By the end of its first week, Australia’s landmark social media ban had already reshaped the digital lives of hundreds of thousands of teenagers. But as enforcement ramps up, Meta is warning that the law may be creating new risks rather than solving old ones.

Australia’s world-first ban on social media use for under-16s is barely a month old, yet its impact is already striking. Meta revealed that it has blocked more than 544,000 underage accounts across its platforms in just the first week of enforcement — a move the company says shows compliance, but also highlights serious flaws in the policy.

The law, which came into force on December 10, requires major platforms such as Meta, TikTok and YouTube to prevent anyone under 16 from holding an account. Companies that fail to take what the legislation calls “reasonable steps” risk fines of up to AUD 49.5 million (around USD 33 million).

Half a million accounts, gone in days

According to Meta, the removals included 331,000 Instagram accounts, 173,000 Facebook profiles, and about 40,000 accounts on Threads. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company acted swiftly to meet its legal obligations — but cautioned that the sheer scale of removals exposes how difficult enforcement will be in practice.

Meta says it supports protecting young people online, but argues that an outright ban is a blunt instrument. “Blanket restrictions risk pushing teens away from safer, regulated platforms and into less visible parts of the internet,” the company said, where oversight is weaker and harms may be harder to detect.

A call for collaboration, not confrontation

In a direct appeal to Canberra, Meta urged the government to rethink its approach and work more closely with the tech industry. Instead of bans, the company wants incentives for platforms to raise standards around privacy-preserving age verification and age-appropriate online experiences.

One of Meta’s core arguments centres on enforcement. The company renewed its call for app stores — not individual platforms — to take responsibility for verifying users’ ages and securing parental consent before apps are downloaded. Without that, Meta warns, platforms are stuck in a “whack-a-mole” cycle, blocking teens on one service only for them to reappear on another, often with fewer safeguards.

Australia stands firm

The Australian government remains unmoved. Officials insist social media companies already collect extensive user data and should be capable of keeping children off their platforms. “They can and must use that information to comply with Australian law and ensure people under 16 are not on their platforms,” a government spokesperson said.

What about teens themselves?

Meta also points to concerns raised by parents and child-development experts, who fear the ban could isolate teenagers from supportive online communities, particularly those who rely on digital spaces for social connection or mental-health support. The company claims early signals suggest the policy may not be delivering its intended boost to youth safety and wellbeing.

As Australia presses ahead with its tough stance, the global tech industry is watching closely. Whether this bold experiment becomes a blueprint for child safety — or a cautionary tale about unintended consequences — is a question that may only be answered with time.

BY- Nirosha Gupta