Facebook and Instagram shut down 750 thousand children's accounts

Meta has closed access to more than 750 thousand accounts on Facebook and Instagram in Australia, which it estimated belonged to users under 16 years old.

According to Meta's report, the statistics cover the period from the start of the new requirements in December 2025 until June 30, 2026. The company blocked more than 500 thousand accounts even before the law came into force.

Meta uses artificial intelligence to determine users' age. The system analyzes posts, comments, profile descriptions, and photo captions, looking for mentions of birthdays, school attendance, and other signs that the account holder is not yet 16 years old.

The company has also simplified reporting of suspected child accounts and strengthened checks to prevent blocked users from re-registering. The age rating of Facebook and Instagram apps in the Australian App Store has been raised to 16+.

Australia has an age restriction for social media

From December 10, 2025, social platforms in Australia are required to take reasonable steps to ensure users under 16 cannot create or maintain accounts. The restrictions apply to, among others, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, Threads, X, Reddit, and Twitch.

The law does not provide for fines for children and their parents. Responsibility lies with the platforms: insufficient age verification measures could result in a fine of up to 54.6 million Australian dollars.

Meta states that blocking will continue, and the number of restricted accounts will grow. At the same time, the company advocates for a unified age verification system at the operating system or app store level.

Earlier Current Ukraine wrote that some Australian teenagers continue to use social media, bypassing the introduced restrictions.

Based on materials from: Meta, eSafety Commissioner