Meta, TikTok and Snap will deactivate under-16 accounts in Australia from December 10 despite opposing the new law on youth protection.
SYDNEY: Meta, TikTok and Snap have announced they will comply with Australia’s upcoming ban on social media users under the age of 16.
The companies stated they will begin deactivating underage accounts when the new law takes effect on December 10.
In parliamentary hearings, representatives from Meta, ByteDance-owned TikTok and Snap reiterated their opposition to the ban but confirmed their intention to follow the legislation.
This stance marks a significant shift in the social media industry’s response to Australian regulations being closely monitored by global lawmakers.
Platforms failing to take reasonable steps to block under-16 users face potential fines of up to A$49.5 million (US$32.5 million).
The companies had previously argued the ban could push young people toward unmonitored internet spaces and limit social connections.
Snap’s senior vice president Jennifer Stout emphasised their compliance despite disagreement with the policy.
TikTok’s public policy lead Ella Woods-Joyce confirmed the platform would meet its legal obligations while maintaining opposition to the ban.
Meta’s policy director Mia Garlick revealed plans to contact approximately 450,000 under-16 account holders across Instagram and Facebook in Australia.
Affected users will receive options to either delete their data or have it stored until they turn 16.
TikTok reported having 200,000 under-16 accounts in Australia while Snap identified 440,000 such accounts.
All three platforms will implement automated behaviour-tracking software to identify potentially underage users claiming to be over 16.
Accounts identified as belonging to under-16 users through behavioural analysis will be deactivated from December 10.
Meta and TikTok will direct users incorrectly flagged as underage to third-party age-estimation tools for verification.
Snap confirmed it is still developing a solution for users who believe they have been incorrectly blocked from the platform.
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