Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is set to begin removing accounts of users under 16 in Australia as part of a new government mandate. The company will start notifying affected teens this week, giving them a two-week warning to either download or delete their data from the platforms. The official ban on underage accounts will take effect on December 10, but Meta plans to start deactivating accounts on December 4.

The Australian government has mandated that social media platforms, including Meta's services, must prevent users under 16 from holding accounts. This law has garnered attention, with some officials praising it as a necessary step for online safety. Meta is expected to remove approximately 350,000 accounts from Instagram and 150,000 from Facebook, with more removals anticipated as the deadline approaches.

Teens will receive notifications through various channels, including in-app messages, SMS, and emails, informing them of the impending account deactivation. The messages will encourage users to save their posts and private messages before their accounts are closed. Users who do not receive a warning should remain aware that they may still be flagged in the future.

In an effort to comply with the new regulations, Meta will utilize age verification technology to identify underage users. However, the company has acknowledged that there are significant challenges and inaccuracies associated with these verification methods. Users who believe they have been incorrectly classified as underage will have the option to verify their identity through a “video selfie” or by providing government-issued identification.

Meta has partnered with Yoti, a company specializing in facial age estimation, to conduct these checks. While Yoti does not retain facial data after verification, independent studies have indicated that age estimation tools can have a high margin of error, particularly for users near the age threshold. For instance, a recent trial showed a 13.9% false negative rate for 16-year-olds, meaning that some users could be wrongly blocked from accessing their accounts.

Meta's global head of safety, Antigone Davis, stated, "While we are working hard to remove all users who we understand to be under the age of 16 by 10 December, compliance with the law will be an ongoing and multi-layered process." The company has also expressed concerns about the effectiveness of age verification methods, suggesting that age checks should ideally be managed through app stores rather than individual platforms.

As Meta prepares for the implementation of this ban, other social media companies are also expected to announce their compliance strategies. TikTok and Snapchat have indicated they will follow the new regulations, while YouTube has yet to clarify its position. The upcoming changes have sparked discussions about privacy and the implications of digital age verification, with some critics questioning the necessity and effectiveness of such measures.