Sawt Falasteen - Meta says starting to remove under-16s from social media in Australia

Australia is obliging social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to remove and block users younger than 16 by December 10, when the law comes into force.

Platforms face fines of Aus$49.5 million (US$32 million) if they fail to take "reasonable steps" to comply.

"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," a Meta spokesperson said.

Younger users can still save and download their online histories, the spokesperson said.

"Before you turn 16, we will notify you that you will soon be allowed to regain access to these platforms, and your content will be restored exactly as you left it."

Meta said it was committed to complying with the Australian law, but it called for app stores to be held accountable for checking ages instead of the social media platforms.

"The government should require app stores to verify age and obtain parental approval whenever teens under 16 download apps, eliminating the need for teens to verify their age multiple times across different apps," the spokesperson said.

"Social media platforms could then use this verified age information to ensure teens are in age-appropriate experiences."

YouTube has also attacked the social media ban.

The video-streaming giant said this week the new law would make young Australians "less safe" because under-16s could still visit the website without an account but would lose YouTube features including safety filters.

But the government described its argument as "absurd".

"If YouTube is reminding us all that it is not safe and there's content not appropriate for age-restricted users on their website, that's a problem that YouTube needs to fix," Communications Minister Anika Wells said.

I.Matar--SF-PST