Australia’s strict approach to limiting children’s access to social media has resulted in hundreds of thousands of Facebook and Instagram accounts being shut down, with Meta reporting that more than 7.5 lakh accounts suspected of belonging to users below 16 have been deactivated.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said it removed approximately 756,000 accounts between December 2025 and June 2026 as part of its efforts to comply with Australia’s new social media minimum-age requirements. The figure includes around 4.62 lakh Instagram accounts and 2.94 lakh Facebook accounts.
The latest figures represent a significant increase from the numbers disclosed by Meta earlier this year. By January, the company had reported removing about 3.31 lakh Instagram accounts and 1.73 lakh Facebook accounts believed to be operated by Australians under the age of 16.
Australia’s social media minimum-age law came into effect on December 10, 2025. Under the rules, designated platforms are required to take reasonable measures to prevent Australians under 16 from maintaining accounts on their services.
Meta had previously opposed the legislation but has said it would comply with the Australian requirements. The company has been using a combination of age-assurance technology, artificial intelligence and other indicators to identify accounts that may belong to underage users. Meta said its systems can examine contextual signals, including information suggesting a user may be below the required age.
However, the large number of deactivated accounts has not settled the wider debate over whether the policy is effectively keeping teenagers off social media. Australian government figures and independent research have indicated that many under-16 users continued to access social media after the restrictions came into force.
The Australian online safety regulator, eSafety, is continuing to monitor how platforms implement the age restrictions and whether they are taking adequate measures to comply with the law. The regulator has said platforms must continue improving the accuracy and effectiveness of their age-assurance systems.
The issue is also attracting international attention, as governments in other countries consider whether similar age-based restrictions could be introduced. The Australian experience is likely to remain an important test case for policymakers weighing children’s online safety against questions surrounding privacy, age verification and access to social media.
Meta’s latest disclosure comes as the company and other major technology platforms face increasing scrutiny over how effectively they are enforcing Australia’s landmark under-16 social media restrictions.
