Australia’s social media ban prompts Meta to alert teen users – Irish Sun

MELBOURNE, Australia: Meta has begun notifying thousands of young Australians that they will soon lose access to Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, as the company moves to comply with a new national law that bars children under 16 from using major social media platforms. The Australian government announced the sweeping age restriction two weeks ago, requiring Meta’s services, including Snapchat, TikTok, X, and YouTube, to take “reasonable steps” to block users under 16 starting December 10. On November 20, Meta became the first of the targeted technology firms to outline its compliance plan. The company said it has started sending SMS and email alerts to young account holders, warning that from December 4, accounts believed to belong to under-16s will begin to lose access. “We will start notifying impacted teens today to give them the opportunity to save their contacts and memories,” Meta said in a statement. The two-week window is intended to let young users download their data, remove content, or update contact information “so we can get in touch and help them regain access once they turn 16,” the company added. Meta estimates that 350,000 Australians aged 13 to 15 currently use Instagram, and another 150,000 in that age
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