ISTANBUL

Meta, the parent company of the US social media platform Facebook and Instagram, said it deactivated 544,052 accounts believed to have been held by users under the age of 16 in Australia following the country’s social media ban.

On Dec. 10, Australia became the first country to implement a ban on social media for children under 16. With the ban in effect, young people are prohibited from using or maintaining profiles on major platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, and others.

In a blog post on Sunday, the company said between Dec. 4 and 11 it deactivated 330,639 Instagram accounts, 173,497 on Facebook, and 39,916 on Threads.

“We call on the Australian government to engage with industry constructively to find a better way forward, such as incentivising all of industry to raise the standard in providing safe, privacy-preserving, age-appropriate online experiences, instead of blanket bans,” the statement said.

The tech giant underlined that it is committed to complying with the law, while noting that its “concerns about determining age online without an industry standard remain.”