Thousands of teenagers have been warned by Meta to download or delete their data before Australia’s world-first social media ban takes effect.

Once accounts start being restricted, if someone over 16 mistakenly loses access, the user can verify their age using video selfie or government ID on third-party app Yoti, Meta said.

Meta has announced it will introduce age verification to avoid teens simply changing their birthdate on the app. I have seen a number of videos of teens saying they will simply get a VPN to get around this so it will be interesting to see what happens.

Aside from Meta-owned Instagram, Facebook and Threads, several other social media platforms, including TikTok, Snapchat, X, YouTube, Reddit, and Kick, will become age restricted, with accounts for those under 16 deactivated or deleted on December 10.

The countdown is on! I was walking behind a mum and her 2 teen sons the other day and both teens were having a meltdown and saying they needed Snapchat to stay in touch with their friends. Where have the days of just texting gone???

Open

News.com.au

Meta starts notifying under-16s of account shutdowns ahead of Australia’s social media ban

Melbourne