Sydney: Meta has started removing users under the age of 16 in Australia from Instagram, Threads and Facebook, days before the country’s landmark youth social-media ban comes into effect on December 10.

Under the new law, major platforms, including Meta, TikTok and YouTube, must block access for under-16 users or face fines of up to A$49.5 million (US$32 million) for failing to take “reasonable steps” to comply.

“While we are working hard to remove all users who we understand to be under the age of 16 by 10 December, compliance with the law will be an ongoing and multi-layered process,” a Meta spokesperson said.

Younger users will be able to save and download their online histories, the company added.

“Before you turn 16, we will notify you that you will soon be allowed to regain access to these platforms, and your content will be restored exactly as you left it.”

About 350,000 Australian users aged 13 to 15 are active on Instagram alone and are expected to be affected. Some apps, including Roblox, Pinterest and WhatsApp, are currently exempt, though the list may change.

Meta reiterated its commitment to follow the law but urged the government to shift responsibility to app stores.

“The government should require app stores to verify age and obtain parental approval whenever teens under 16 download apps, eliminating the need for teens to verify their age multiple times across different apps,” the spokesperson said. “Social media platforms could then use this verified age information to ensure teens are in age-appropriate experiences.”

YouTube has pushed back against the law, warning it could make young people “less safe” because under-16s could still access the site without accounts but would lose platform safety filters.