Meta warns of ‘whack-a-mole’ outcome as 550,000 Australian accounts deactivated

Meta has warned the Australian government that its social media age ban is triggering an industry-wide game of “whack-a-mole,” as the tech giant deactivates more than 544,000 accounts to comply with the new law.

The removals, executed between 4 and 11 December 2025, targeted users Meta understands to be under 16. Instagram saw the highest volume of enforcement with 330,639 accounts removed, while Facebook and Threads accounted for a combined 213,413 deactivations.

Despite the mass purge, Meta argues the legislation is failing its core objective. Internal data and market trends suggest that instead of leaving social media, Australian teens are migrating to less regulated platforms.

The migration to ‘dark corners’

The "whack-a-mole" effect is already visible in domestic app rankings. While major platforms like TikTok and Instagram enforce the ban, alternative apps such as Lemon8, Yope and Coverstar have surged to the top of the Australian App Store charts. Meta said the audience shift isn't just a change in platform, rather a move toward environments that often lack the sophisticated safety frameworks and parental oversight tools integrated into Meta’s "Teen Accounts."

SEE MORE: Instagram doubles down on teen safety in Australian

"Driving teens to less regulated apps and parts of the internet... will result in inconsistent protections," Meta stated, noting that many of these alternative spaces do not prioritise age assurance or safety to the same degree as established players.

To break the cycle of platform-hopping, Meta is advocating for a structural shift in how age is verified. Rather than requiring every individual app to police the border, Meta is calling for legislation that mandates age verification at the app store level.

By requiring Apple and Google to verify age and obtain parental approval before a download occurs, Meta argues the industry can achieve a "consistent, industry-wide protection" that follows the user regardless of which app becomes the next viral trend.

Meta is currently integrating AgeKeys - a privacy-preserving, interoperable age signal developed with the OpenAge Initiative - into its Australian apps for 2026. However, until a unified industry standard is reached, the platform said migration remains the primary risk for both platform safety and brand reach.