Facebook and Instagram to start kicking Australian teenagers off platforms as social media ban looms

Teenagers who have their Facebook, Instagram or Threads accounts deactivated will be able to return to their accounts once they are 16, or opt to delete them entirely. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Australian Facebook and Instagram users under 16 will be notified starting Thursday that their accounts will be deactivated by 10 December, as Meta begins to comply with the Albanese government’s social media ban.

Users affected by the ban will receive 14 days’ notice of their pending account deactivation through a combination of in-app messages, email and SMS before their access is cut off.