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Or sign-in if you have an account.Meta says it's eclipsed the 750,000 mark for number of youth Facebook and Instagram accounts eliminated in Australia. Photo by DAVID GRAY /AFP via Getty ImagesMeta Platforms Inc. says it has removed access to more than 750,000 Instagram and Facebook accounts in Australia believed to belong to people under 16 since it began complying with the country’s landmark youth social media ban last year.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe figure includes more than 500,000 accounts Meta removed before the law came into effect in December, along with those it has shut down since, the company said Thursday. That includes 462,000 Instagram accounts and 294,000 Facebook accounts.“Enforcement is ongoing, and these numbers will continue to grow,” the Menlo Park, California-based company said. Meta reports details on its enforcement to the Australian government and provides updates to be transparent with the public, it said, adding that it uses AI-powered detection and other measures.Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againRegulators, parents and academics have been looking for early signs of how Australia’s new rules might be working — or not. The regulations, which came into effect in December, mandate that the likes of Meta, Snap Inc. and ByteDance Ltd.’s TikTok prohibit under-16s from holding accounts or face fines.The rules were driven by fears over the effects of social media on children. While more than two dozen countries have enacted their own bans or are considering similar restrictions after Australia’s move, many Australian children have found workarounds or simply haven’t hit age checks.A report last month by Australia’s online safety regulator, known as eSafety, said the ban had led to only a marginal reduction in underage users in the first three months of its implementation. It found the proportion of under-16s who reported using a social media platform in March was 81.5 per cent, down from 85.9 per cent before the law took effect.“The primary reason children continued to hold age-restricted social media accounts at three months appeared to be ineffective implementation of age assurance measures,” eSafety said.“ESafety’s survey data was collected at the end of March,” a Meta spokesperson said. “We’ve continued to remove accounts and implement additional measures to identify under-16s.”About 38% of children ages 10 to 15 who held accounts on Instagram said the reason they were still on the platform was that it had not yet asked them to verify their ages, the report said. For Facebook, the figure was roughly 28%. Children using other platforms reported similar figures.Meta’s spokesperson didn’t respond to a request for comment on those figures, or to a query about how many under-16s Meta believes may still have Instagram or Facebook accounts in Australia.ESafety’s commissioner didn’t respond to a request for comment on Meta’s update.(Updates with further comments from Meta in eighth paragraph.)Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.