• Meta will block Australian teenagers under 16 from Instagram and Facebook starting December 4.
• The law aims to enhance online safety for minors, with substantial fines for non-compliance.
• Approximately 150,000 Facebook and 350,000 Instagram users aged 13-15 will be affected.

Meta has announced that it will restrict access to Instagram, Facebook, and Threads for Australian users under the age of 16, effective December 4, ahead of the Australian government's social media ban coming into force on December 10. This new regulation mandates that social media platforms take reasonable steps to prevent users aged under 16 from creating accounts or accessing their services, with fines reaching A$49.5 million ($32 million) for violations, according to Indiatimes and Aljazeera.

Meta has begun notifying users it believes to be aged between 13 and 15 that their accounts will be deactivated, allowing them to download their data before the shutdown. It has been estimated that 350,000 youths on Instagram and 150,000 on Facebook will be impacted by this action. The company plans to block new accounts for this age group entirely, which has raised concerns among child advocacy groups regarding the implications for access to information and mental health, as reported by BBC and Channel News Asia.

To verify user ages, Meta plans to utilize various methods, including facial recognition technology where teens can take a "video selfie" or present government-issued IDs, a process that has raised skepticism regarding effectiveness and privacy, mentioned in the reports from CBS News and The Jakarta Post.

Despite concerns regarding the sudden enforcement of these restrictions, officials, including Australia's e-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, have emphasized the goal of protecting children from online risks. However, critics have raised alarms that such sweeping measures may symbolize a failure to consider less drastic alternatives that could still ensure safety, as indicated by youth advocates and Aljazeera and CBS News.

As the ban approaches, Meta continues to express its reservations, arguing that the solution lies not in exclusion but in creating safer, more supportive online environments for young users. Meta's vice president, Antigone Davis, suggested that a comprehensive system for age verification could be more effective, commenting on the ongoing challenge social media companies face in balancing privacy and safety, according to BBC and Channel News Asia.