Meta blocked nearly 550,000 accounts in first days of Australia’s under-16s social media ban

Between 4 December 2025, when Meta began deactivating accounts for teenagers, and 11 December, almost 550,000 accounts were deactivated, including 330,639 on Instagram, 173,497 on Facebook and 39,916 on Threads. Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters

Meta has deactivated more than half a million accounts for teenagers across Facebook, Instagram and Threads as a result of Australia’s under-16s social media ban, the company has announced.

Just over one month since the ban came into effect, Meta announced on Monday that between 4 December, when the company began deactivating accounts, and 11 December, 544,052 accounts Meta believed to be held by users under 16 were deactivated.