Meta Platforms(US:META) Xin Lang Cai Jing·2026-01-12 12:28Core Viewpoint - Meta has closed nearly 550,000 accounts to comply with Australia's child social media ban, which requires platforms to exclude users under 16 years old starting December 10, 2025 [1][5][7] Group 1: Account Closures - Approximately 330,000 Instagram accounts, 173,000 Facebook accounts, and nearly 40,000 Threads accounts belonging to users under 16 have been closed [1][5] - The total number of accounts closed by Meta is nearly 550,000 [1][5] Group 2: Legislative Context - The new law mandates that services like TikTok and Instagram must exclude users under 16 or face fines up to 49.5 million AUD (approximately 231 million RMB) [4][7] - The law is set to take effect on December 10, 2025 [4][7] Group 3: Meta's Response - Meta opposes the ban and advocates for standardized age verification to protect young users across all social platforms [4][7] - The company highlights a significant increase in downloads of alternative social media platforms as a concerning trend [4][7] - Meta emphasizes that standardized age verification could prevent the "whack-a-mole effect," where teenagers switch to new apps to bypass social media restrictions [4][7]