On Thursday, December 4th, tech giant Meta said it has begun removing under-16s in Australia from Instagram, Threads and Facebook ahead of the country’s world-first youth social media ban.
Australia is requiring major online platforms–including TikTok and YouTube–to block underage users by December 10th, when the new law comes into force.
Companies face fines of Aus$49.5 million (US$32 million) if they fail to take “reasonable steps” to comply.
A Meta spokesperson said:
While we are working hard to remove all users who we understand to be under the age of 16 by 10 December, compliance with the law will be an ongoing and multi-layered process.
Some popular apps and websites, such as Roblox, Pinterest and WhatsApp, are exempt, but the list remains under review.
