Meta starts notifying Australian teens of account shutdowns as social media ban looms

Facebook and Instagram users under 16 will be sent email, SMS and in-app messages in anticipation of 10 December when ban will begin

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Australian Facebook and Instagram users under 16 will be notified starting Thursday that their accounts will be deactivated by 10 December, as Meta begins to comply with the Albanese government's social media ban.

Users affected by the ban will receive 14 days' notice of their pending account deactivation through a combination of in-app messages, email and SMS before their access is cut off.