Meta (NASDAQ:META) said on Thursday that it has removed more than 750,000 Facebook and Instagram accounts suspected of belonging to Australians under the age of 16, as the technology group steps up enforcement of the country’s landmark social media age restrictions amid the prospect of regulatory action.
Meta accelerates removal of under-16 accounts
The Facebook and Instagram owner said it deactivated 462,000 suspected underage Instagram accounts and another 294,000 Facebook accounts between shortly before Australia’s social media restrictions took effect in December and June.
That brings the combined number of removals to 756,000 accounts and represents a substantial increase from figures disclosed in January, when Meta said it had taken down 331,000 Instagram accounts and 173,000 Facebook accounts.
Meta has repeatedly said it intends to comply with the Australian legislation despite publicly opposing the approach taken by the government.
The latest figures arrive as Australia’s internet regulator considers potential enforcement proceedings against social media platforms, including services operated by Meta, over concerns that some companies have not done enough to meet the requirements of the law.
Underage social media use remains widespread
Other major platforms have not released compliance figures covering the same period as Meta. However, Australian government data and several independent studies have indicated that more than eight in 10 children under 16 continued to use social media during the first three months of the restrictions.
Australia’s government introduced the legislation because of concerns about the potential effects of social media on the physical and mental wellbeing of children and younger teenagers. The rules came into force on December 10.
The Australian approach is also being closely watched internationally as governments elsewhere consider introducing similar minimum-age requirements for social media services.
Australian authorities have accused platforms of deliberately implementing the restrictions in ways that could undermine their effectiveness. The government has subsequently introduced legislation that would double the maximum penalty for non-compliance to A$99 million ($69.75 million) while expanding the regulator’s powers to obtain documents.
Social media companies face parliamentary hearing
Representatives from Meta, TikTok, YouTube owner Google and Snap’s Snapchat are scheduled to appear before a parliamentary inquiry on Friday to discuss the changes. Government and regulatory officials are also expected to provide evidence.
“Enforcement is ongoing, and these numbers will continue to grow,” Meta said in a statement.
“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 hearing is likely to place further attention on how effectively technology companies can identify underage users and prevent them from creating replacement accounts.
Meta turns to AI for age detection
A 2025 Australian trial examining age-assurance technology concluded that commercially available products could effectively support the restrictions.
Many of the largest social media companies, including Meta, subsequently introduced photo-based age estimation technology. However, platforms have said they generally begin with age inference, estimating a user’s likely age based on their activity and other available signals.
Meta said artificial intelligence is being used to examine profiles for “contextual clues that an account may belong to someone under 16, such as birthday celebrations or mentions of school grades” as well as to assess reports concerning potentially underage users.
The company has also tightened its approach to repeat registrations. Meta said it removed the ability for users to make further attempts to create an account when a previous account had already been deleted.
With regulatory scrutiny increasing and Australia’s approach potentially influencing similar policies elsewhere, Meta’s ability to demonstrate effective enforcement of age restrictions could remain an important compliance issue for the company.
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