Meta Purges 756,000 Teen Accounts in Australia as Canberra Escalates Legal Pressure
Social media giant Meta has taken down more than 756,000 accounts, suspected to belong to underage users, in Australia, after reports on Thursday that Canberra was tightening restrictions on technology companies.
The figure which includes 462,000 Instagram and 294,000 Facebook accounts taken offline between December 2025 and June 2026 – is up from 504,000 accounts, also across both platforms in January. The company said that the number of closures would accelerate as Australia’s new laws come into force.
Meta’s revelation comes as Australia becomes the first country in the world to ban social media networks for children under the age of 16, after legislation was passed last year to improve online safety and address concerns about youth mental health.
Under the framework, legal compliance obligations fall directly on network operators rather than parents or young users.
However, Australian regulators have expressed rising dissatisfaction with corporate compliance, warning that technology giants are falling short of legal standards. Federal officials recently introduced legislation proposing to double financial penalties for non-compliance to 99 million Australian dollars ($69.75 million) while expanding statutory document discovery powers.
Independent research and official data reveal that despite Meta’s extensive enforcement actions, over 80 percent of Australian adolescents continue to access social platforms. Minors routinely bypass restrictions by entering incorrect birth dates, utilizing adult credentials, or establishing new profiles shortly after account terminations.
Meta defended its compliance strategies, detailing that its engineering teams deploy artificial intelligence models to analyze subtle profile markers, such as birthday celebration posts or school grade mentions. The company noted that flagged users are systematically blocked from creating alternative accounts once removed.
Representatives from Meta, TikTok, Google’s YouTube, and Snap are set to appear before an Australian parliamentary inquiry on Friday to present evidence on their compliance procedures alongside government officials.
As international policymakers closely monitor Canberra’s regulatory experiment, the parliamentary proceedings are expected to shape future legal standards for youth internet safety worldwide.
