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Meta Deletes 5.5 Lakh Underage Accounts Amid Australia’s New Social Media Law
Meta, Australia Social Media Ban: Social media has been banned for children under the age of 16 in Australia. In response, Meta removed nearly 550,000 accounts in just one week. However, the company says that banning the platform alone will not solve the problem.
Meta has made a huge move towards adhering to Australia's new tough social media regulations. Meta reported that it had removed a total of 550,000 accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and Threads between December 4th and December 11th. Meta is convinced that all of those accounts belonged to people under 16 years of age. Nevertheless, despite this massive move, Meta has warned the government that an outright ban on certain social media platforms will not be an effective way to safeguard children.
Meta has warned Australian parliamentarians that if they ban social media, children would be compelled to find alternative ways to connect to the internet rather than giving it up. According to the company, children are now turning to apps that are not covered by this law. Meta reported that children are using platforms like Yop, Lemon-8, and Discord as alternatives to Snapchat. Furthermore, many children are circumventing this ban by using VPNs or their parents' accounts. Meta described this as a cat-and-mouse game, where children move from one platform to another.
Meta argues that instead of imposing restrictions on each app individually, children's age should be verified where they download apps, i.e., on the App Store. The company stated that it has developed the "Age Keys" tool in collaboration with the OpenAge Initiative. Through this, age can be accurately verified using government ID, financial information, or facial recognition, thus protecting privacy.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese believes that this law is necessary to free children's childhood from the grip of social media and empower parents. He says that this will allow children to become children again. Australia's e-Safety Commissioner has also supported this move.
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On the other hand, not all companies are complying with the rules as quietly as Meta. Popular platform Reddit has launched a legal campaign against this ban. Reddit argues that this ban is not only ineffective but also inhibits young people's right to political discourse.
