Meta removes 750,000 under-16 Facebook, Instagram accounts in Australia as age ban takes effect

(AWP Alliance News) - Meta reported it removed access to more than 750,000 Facebook and Instagram accounts in Australia assessed as belonging to people under 16 as of June 30, 2026, as it enforced the country's social media age ban. The figure included more than 500,000 accounts taken down ahead of the law taking effect.

Meta flagged ongoing enforcement, with regular reporting to Australia's eSafety Commissioner. It also ran an education campaign in June and July that it said reached about 1.3 million people.

Meta pushed for a single age-verification signal at the operating system or app store level to reduce repeated checks across apps.

https://www.publicnow.com/view/902569E0975907C8074CD665079BB979C399474F…

Disclaimer: This news brief was created using generative artificial intelligence. Meta Platforms Inc. published the original content used to generate this news brief on August 13, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained therein.