Meta removes over 7 lakh under-16 accounts in Australia: Can India be next?
Follow UsMeta deactivated 4,62,000 Instagram and 2,94,000 Facebook accounts in Australia between December and June.
India has no nationwide under-16 social media ban, but Karnataka and other states are considering similar restrictions.
India’s massive user base could make large-scale age verification and account removal more challenging.
Meta has removed over 7 lakh Instagram and Facebook accounts in Australia after identifying them as potentially belonging to users who are under 16. The company deactivated 4,62,000 suspected underage Instagram accounts and 294,000 Facebook accounts between December and June, according to figures reported by Reuters. This comes after Australia’s under-16 social media law came into effect on December 10, requiring major platforms to prevent children below 16 from holding accounts.
SurveyMeta is using AI to find underage accounts
The company stated that it is relying on AI and other detection systems to identify users who may be below the permitted age. Instead of depending only on the date of birth provided during account creation, the systems can examine signals such as birthday posts, references to school grades and reports from other users.
The company has also introduced measures intended to prevent children from immediately creating new accounts after an underage account has been removed. Meta says that it is still putting new rules suggesting that more accounts can be deactivated.
Australia’s internet regulator is reviewing whether platforms are doing enough to comply with the law. Representatives from Meta, TikTok, Google and Snapchat are also expected to appear before a parliamentary inquiry.
Can India be next?
India does not currently have a nationwide law banning the social media accounts for users under 16. However, the issue has gained attention among the policymakers with several proposals and state level initiatives being discussed.
Karnataka recently announced plans earlier this year to restrict social media access for children under 16, while Andhra Pradesh and Goa have also considered similar measures. At the central level, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is examining age-based approaches to online safety.
Parliament has also seen proposals covering parental consent, children’s online safety and restrictions on personalised advertising targeting minors.
India’s much larger user base may make enforcement more difficult than in Australia. Meta has hundreds of millions of Instagram and Facebook users in India, which creates challenges for age detection, verification, privacy, and large-scale account enforcement.
