Facebook and Instagram Will Start Locking Out Australian Teens Ahead of National Social Media Ban

Summary:

• Australian teens under 16 face account deactivation on Facebook and Instagram by December 10 due to new restrictions.

• Meta will start notifying affected users through in-app alerts, emails, and SMS messages starting December 4.

• Teens can download their data, prove their age through various methods, and regain access at 16 with profiles intact.

Australian teens are about to lose access to some of the biggest platforms on the internet. Beginning Thursday, Facebook and Instagram users under 16 will start receiving notifications that their accounts will be deactivated by December 10, the deadline for tech companies to comply with the Albanese government’s incoming social media age restrictions.

The move marks the most aggressive shift in Australia’s online safety policy yet — and one of the most sweeping platform crackdowns on minors anywhere in the world.

Instagram/Facebook/Threads users suspected of being under 16 will start getting notifications, emails and texts (!) about their accounts being deactivated, under new information put out by Meta today about how they intend to comply with Australia’s teen social media ban. pic.twitter.com/Q2dsz1bxgS

— CAMERONWILSON – CROSS-POSTED FROM OTHER PLATFORMS (@cameronwilson) November 19, 2025

Affected users will see a mix of in-app alerts, emails, and SMS messages warning them that their accounts will be locked within 14 days. Meta will begin disabling access on December 4, with full removal set for December 10.

The ban covers Facebook, Instagram, and Threads (which requires an Instagram login), but Messenger remains exempt. That exemption forced Meta to build a workaround that allows teens to keep messaging contacts without maintaining a full Facebook profile.

Meta confirmed teens can still download their posts, Reels, and DMs, and can regain access the moment they turn 16 — assuming they don’t choose to delete their accounts entirely.

In a statement, Mia Garlick, Meta’s regional policy director, said users who return at 16 will find their profiles “exactly as you left it.”

The company says it will notify anyone it “understands” to be under 16, though it won’t publicly reveal how it determines that. If a user is incorrectly flagged, they’ll need to verify their age through:

• Facial age assurance, which requires uploading a video selfie

• Government ID, processed through Yoti’s age-verification tech

Meta acknowledged the system won’t be flawless, but argues it’s the “least privacy-intrusive” option available.

The company is also investigating a separate glitch preventing new under-16 users from signing up for Instagram — an issue it says is unrelated to the ban rollout.

Meta has repeatedly argued that its existing teen-account protections — which limit who minors can message, restrict ads, and give parents more oversight — are a safer, more realistic alternative to a national ban.

The company also says app stores should shoulder responsibility for verifying ages at the point of download.

Still, Meta appears to be the first major platform to formally explain how it will comply, even as the tech world remains divided over the policy.

Other platforms are still sorting out their plans. TikTok and Snapchat say they’ll comply, while YouTube argues it shouldn’t be part of the ban and is considering legal action. X has openly opposed the policy and hasn’t confirmed whether it will follow it. Reddit and Kick haven’t detailed their approach yet.

Australia is now one of the first countries to attempt a nationwide, government-enforced age limit across all major social media platforms.