Instagram, TikTok And Facebook Accounts Of Users To Be Deactivated In This Country: Here Is Why

In a rather shocking move, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and other social media accounts for selected users in Australia are soon getting deactivated. The mentioned platforms will start notifying the Australian

teenagers about the deactivation of their accounts. As reported by Reuters, the platforms will be offering the teenagers three choices: freeze their profiles, download their data, or lose their accounts. This marks the firs ban on kids under 16 years of age to use social media platforms. The ban will come into effect starting from December 10, 2025. Apart from that, there will be little to no disruption for the other 20 million social media users in the country. Without a doubt, this move by the Australian government puts the country as a global leader in online safety for teenagers. And the government is more than serious about the issue, as they have already told the platform that anyone found practicing non-compliance will be punished with heavy fines of 45.5 million Australian Dollars. The platforms, on the other hand, suggest that mandatory age checks could come out as invasive. Most of the social media platforms will be depending on the existing software that estimates a user's age based on likes, interactions, and activity patters on the platform. Furthermore, if a user thinks that they have been wrongly reported under the same then they can raise an appeal via age assurance apps that estimate age using selfies. These tools are being rolled out widely for the first time. The tests related to this software have shown sign of minor errors like approving profiles for 15-year-olds, blocking the profiles of 17-year-olds. On the other hand, TikTok has already told the government that they are working on a feature that will report suspected underage users. Most of these companies have agreed to stay compliant with the laws, as no one wants to incur heavy fines. However, it will be interesting to see how accurate this age recognition software can be.