Meta is planning to offload under-16s from its platforms and block the creation of new underage accounts up to a week before the teen social media ban comes into effect on December 10.
The week-long transition will start on December 4, the company announced on Thursday as it began notifying Facebook, Instagram and Threads users impacted by the ban.
Underage users will have a two-week window to save their contacts and download their data before the accounts of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of users are deactivated or deleted.
Content will become available on the accounts again when users turn 16, with Meta inviting under-16s to update their contact details “so we can get in touch and help them regain access once they turn 16”.
It has also directed under-16 users to its standalone messaging app Messenger, which along with other Meta-owned platforms Messenger Kids and WhatApps have not been included in the ban.
Users wishing to dispute their age will be directed to third-party age verification provider Yoti, where they can identify themselves with a government-issued ID or video selfie.
Meta is the first social media company to unveil its processes for deleting the accounts of under-16s users ahead of the ban, which was passed in November 2024 and comes into effect next month.
Reuters reported last week that Meta’s and other age-restricted platforms captured by the ban, including Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube, were actively preparing to deactivate up to a million affected accounts.
The ban has faced strident opposition from tech companies, claiming it would be harmful to young people’s mental health, cause privacy risks, violate free speech and force younger users onto other, less safe online environments.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has previously said the ban may be expanded to other platforms as its operational impact is reviewed.
In a statement on Thursday, Meta doubled down on its long-expressed opposition to the ban and warned it could “only do so much to determine [users’] age” as it goes live.
“We share the Australian Government’s goal of creating safe, age-appropriate online experiences, but cutting teens off from their friends and communities isn’t the answer,” it said.
With Justin Hendry
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