Meta purges 756K Australian teen accounts as regulators crack down on youth social media use
Meta deactivates thousands of Australian accounts amid tougher youth social media rules, growing health concerns and regulatory pressure
Meta on Thursday announced that it has deactivated 756,000 Australian accounts suspected of belonging to users under the age of 16.
The total includes 462,000 suspect Instagram accounts and 294,000 suspect Facebook accounts removed between the ban's introduction in December and June.
Meta has relied on artificial intelligence tools to scan profile activity for contextual markers of underage users such as birthday celebrations or references to school grades alongside user reports.
Mark Zuckerberg founded, Meta said in a statement, "Enforcement is ongoing, and these numbers will continue to grow."
"We share the Australian Government's goal of ensuring young people have safe, age-appropriate experiences online, and we are meeting our obligations under the law," the company added.
The move comes as the company faces intensified scrutiny and potential regulatory enforcement under Australia's landmark social media restrictions.
There is a growing consensus that tech giants have failed to design products with child safety in mind. Features like infinite scrolls, algorithmic feeds optimized for engagement, and constant push notifications are increasingly viewed by governments as predatory designs that hijack children's attention spans and disrupt sleep and academic performance
The Australian government recently moved to double maximum non-compliance penalties to A$99 million (approx. $69.75 million USD) while granting regulators broader document-discovery powers amid claims that tech platforms have not done enough to enforce the restrictions.
Social media’s impact on youth health:
The global shift toward restricting youth access to social media is driven by its harmful impact escalating legal pressure and mounting political momentum.
Policymakers are responding to extensive public health data such as reports from the World Health Organization WHO and longitudinal studies tracking sharp rises in adolescent anxiety, depression, body-image distress, and self-harm.
Growing legal pressure on tech giants:
High-profile litigation, massive financial judgments, and state-level investigations such as multi-state lawsuits and landmark court rulings against Meta in the United States have pierced corporate protections and exposed internal company documents.
These findings suggest platforms were aware of potential harms to minors yet chose engagement over safety, fueling legislative appetite for statutory bans.
For years, tech companies relied on terms of service that nominally barred children under 13, but these rules relied on easily bypassed self-reported birthdays. Governments have lost patience with voluntary industry self-policing, prompting mandatory, government-backed age verification and restrictions.
