The company Meta, which owns the three networks, said it has begun notifying users between the ages of 13 and 15 via email and text messages that their accounts will be deactivated starting December 4.
The social media ban for under-16s will come into effect on December 10, and it applies to platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, X and Reddit.
The Prime Minister of this country said that the aim of this ban is to “allow children to be children”.
Meta and other companies oppose this measure, but have stated that they will respect it, reports Tanjug.
Australia’s internet regulator estimates there are 150,000 teenage Facebook users in the country, as well as 350,000 on Instagram, aged 13 to 15.
Platforms that fail to take steps to block accounts from under-16s could be fined up to 50 million Australian dollars (about 28 million euros), according to the BBC.
The Commissioner for Internet Safety said that the goal of the ban is to protect teenagers from “the pressures and risks they can be exposed to while logged in on social networks.”
User age verification will be introduced in Australia as a mandatory measure for accounts using the chat option starting in December, as well as in New Zealand and the Netherlands, while it will apply to the rest of the world from January, the BBC reported.
(Vijesti.ba)
