Meta outlines early compliance with Australia’s social media age ban law
One month after Australia’s social media age ban for under-16s came into force, Meta has published an update on how it has implemented the law, the measures it is developing for age assurance, and its assessment of the law’s early impacts on young users.
Meta has released an update on its compliance with Australia’s social media age ban law, which restricts access to social media platforms for users under the age of 16. According to the company, the first month of implementation has focused on removing underage accounts, refining age assurance processes, and evaluating the broader effects of the legislation.
Meta said that as of 11 December 2025, it had removed access to nearly 550,000 accounts in Australia that it identified as belonging to users under 16. The company described compliance as an ongoing, multi-layered process, noting that determining users’ ages online remains complex in the absence of a common industry-wide standard.
Alongside these enforcement steps, Meta announced that it has become a founding partner of the OpenAge Initiative, a non-profit organisation working on age assurance solutions. The initiative has launched “AgeKeys”, a set of age verification tools designed to allow users to confirm their age once and share verified age signals across multiple platforms in a privacy-preserving way. Age verification methods may include government-issued identification, financial information, facial age estimation, or national digital identity systems. Meta plans to begin integrating these tools into its services in Australia and other markets during 2026.
Meta argues, however, that verifying age separately on each app remains burdensome for families and inconsistent across the digital ecosystem. Citing research suggesting that teenagers use dozens of apps each week, the company has reiterated its position that age verification and parental approval should instead take place at the app store level, before apps are downloaded.
In its update, Meta also pointed to concerns raised by experts, youth organisations, and parents since the law came into effect. These include the potential isolation of vulnerable teenagers from online support communities, a shift by young users toward less regulated platforms, and challenges around accurately determining age near the 16-year threshold. Surveys cited by Meta suggest that some teenagers and parents may also be reluctant to comply with the ban.
The company further questioned the law’s underlying assumption that banning under-16s from holding social media accounts prevents exposure to algorithmic content. Meta noted that even when users access platforms without logging in, algorithms may still shape content delivery, albeit in less personalised ways. It contrasted this with features such as its “Teen Accounts”, which provide built-in safeguards and parental oversight for registered teenage users.
Meta said it remains committed to complying with Australian law but called for continued dialogue with the government. The company argued that collaborative approaches focused on consistent, privacy-preserving age assurance and safety standards across the industry may be more effective than blanket bans in improving online safety and well-being for young people.
