With upcoming ban, Meta begins to notify Australian teens that their accounts will be shut down | TechCrunch

"As Australia's social media ban for teens under the age of 16 looms, Meta has started notifying teenage Facebook and Instagram users about the fate of their accounts. When the ban goes into effect on December 10, Meta will revoke teens' access to their existing accounts, and as of December 4, will prevent users under 16 from starting new accounts. Once they turn 16, they will be able to access their old account as they left it."

"It will be a challenge, however, for Meta to determine which users are under the age of 16, since people aren't always truthful about their age when signing up for social media services. But digital age checks are notoriously difficult to execute in a manner that's safe and effective. Identity verification services are high-profile targets for hacks, and the implications of even a minor security vulnerability are severe, since personal information and government documents can be exposed."

Australia will implement a social media ban for users under 16, effective December 10. Meta will revoke access to existing Facebook and Instagram accounts for under-16s and will prevent users under 16 from creating new accounts starting December 4. Teenagers will regain access to their previous accounts when they turn 16. Determining which users are under 16 will be difficult because many users misstate their age at signup. Digital age checks and identity verification systems are hard to execute safely and effectively and are attractive targets for hackers. A reported AU10TIX exposure left administrative credentials online, exposing sensitive user data.

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