Meta Platforms said it removed more than 750,000 accounts suspected of belonging to Australians under 16, following a ban on teen accounts that took effect in December.
From December to June, Meta deactivated 462,000 Instagram accounts and 294,000 Facebook accounts, up from 331,000 Instagram accounts and 173,000 Facebook accounts the company reported removing by January.
Australia's law, which took force Dec. 10, restricts social media access for users under 16 during government concerns about the platforms' effects on young people's physical and mental health. Meta has said it opposes the law but intends to comply.
Australia's internet regulator is considering an enforcement lawsuit against social media platforms, including those owned by Meta, saying the companies have not taken sufficient steps to comply.
Government data and independent studies suggest more than eight in 10 users under 16 continued using social media during the ban's first three months, raising questions about enforcement effectiveness.
The Australian government has accused platforms of deliberately setting the ban up to fail and introduced legislation to double the maximum penalty for non-compliance to A$99 million (approximately $69.75 million U.S.). The legislation also grants the regulator broader document discovery powers.
Other countries are weighing similar age restrictions, with Australia's enforcement effort serving as an early test case for international regulatory frameworks.
Representatives from Meta, TikTok, Google—which owns YouTube—and Snap are scheduled to testify before a parliamentary inquiry Friday on compliance efforts related to the law.
