• Meta imposes strict national restrictions on minors' social media accounts
• Platforms are pushing for alternatives measures instead of total ban

Meta blocked around 550,000 accounts during the first days of implementing a new Australian law that prevents children under 16 from having accounts on social media platforms.

The law, which came into effect in December, required the world’s most popular platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, to prevent Australians under 16 from creating accounts.

This move is being closely monitored worldwide, as it is considered one of the strictest policies in this field.

Meta reported that during the first week of compliance, it blocked 330,639 accounts on Instagram, 173,497 on Facebook, and 39,916 on Threads.

The Australian government and supporting groups justified the ban as necessary to protect children from harmful content and platform algorithms.

While acknowledging the need for further measures to protect minors, Meta called for “better alternatives” instead of a blanket ban.

In a statement, the company urged the Australian government to collaborate with tech companies “to raise digital safety standards” rather than impose a full ban, suggesting age verification be handled at the app store level, with allowances for parental consent exceptions.

Meta said this approach is “the only way to ensure consistent protection for children across all apps and prevent them from migrating to other platforms to bypass the ban.”

Australia is the first country to set an age limit of 16 without parental consent exemptions, making its law the strictest globally.

The policy has received broad support from parents, while the UK Conservative Party pledged to adopt a similar approach if it wins the next election.

However, experts warned that children might easily circumvent the ban by tricking age verification technologies or moving to less secure digital spaces.