Facebook and Instagram owner Meta said on Thursday it had removed more than 750,000 accounts it suspected were held by Australians under 16 since the country’s world-first social media ban for teenagers took effect.
Meta said it had deactivated 462,000 suspected under-16 Instagram accounts and 294,000 Facebook accounts between shortly before the ban came into effect in December and June.
The figures are up from the 331,000 Instagram accounts and 173,000 Facebook accounts the company said it had removed by January.
The world’s largest social media company has said it wants to comply with the law, despite strongly opposing it, as Australia’s internet regulator considers legal action against platforms it believes have failed to take sufficient steps to enforce the ban.
No other platforms have released compliance figures covering the same period. However, Australian government data and several independent studies indicate that more than eight in 10 under-16s remained on social media during the ban’s first three months.
The landmark law, introduced by the Australian government over concerns about the impact of social media on children’s physical and mental health, came into effect on December 10.
