Meta: Meta removed 550,000 social media accounts belonging to users under 16 in Australia, but issued a major warning to the government..

Following Australia's new strict social media laws, Meta has taken a significant step. The company revealed that between December 4th and December 11th, it removed a total of 550,000 accounts from Instagram, Facebook, and Threads. Meta believes that all of these accounts belonged to children under the age of 16. However, despite taking such large-scale action, Meta has warned the government that imposing a "blanket ban" on some social media platforms will fail to keep children safe.

Children will find other ways.
Meta has cautioned Australian lawmakers that banning social media will not lead children to abandon the internet altogether, but rather to use alternative platforms. According to the company, children are now turning to apps that are not covered by this law. Meta stated that children are using platforms like Yubo, Lemon8, and Discord as alternatives to Snapchat. Additionally, many children are circumventing the ban by using VPNs or their parents' accounts. Meta described this as a cat-and-mouse game, where children simply move to another platform after being removed from one.

Meta suggests age verification.
Meta argues that instead of imposing different restrictions on each app, age verification should be implemented at the point where children download the apps, i.e., the app store. The company stated that it has developed "Age Keys" tools in collaboration with the "OpenAge Initiative." This tool allows for accurate age verification using government IDs, financial information, or facial recognition, while also protecting privacy.

What do the government and other companies say?
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese believes that this law is necessary to free children's childhoods from the grip of social media and empower parents. He says it will allow children to be children again. Australia's eSafety Commissioner has also supported this move. On the other hand, not all companies are quietly complying with the rules like Meta. The popular platform Reddit has launched a legal challenge against this ban. Reddit argues that the ban is not only ineffective but also infringes upon young people's right to political discourse.

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