Meta platform allows users under 16 in Australia to change their date of birth – but only after clearing a ‘video selfie’ or providing government ID Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Instagram’s process for determining whether a user is over 16 is relatively quick and painless if you’re clearly an adult – but how does it work if a 13-year-old tries to change their account’s date of birth to make them appear grown up? Meta in November began notifying Instagram and Facebook users whose date of birth is set as under 16 – or who the platform understands to be under 16 – that their accounts will be deactivated as part of Australia’s social media ban for children. The ban takes effect on 10 December , but Meta has said it will start removing access to users under 16 from 4 December. Continue reading...
SRCThe Guardian - World News
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LeanCenter-Left
WORDS160
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MON · 2025-12-01 · 14:00 GMTBRIEF NSR-2025-1201-410
NSR-2025-1201-410News Report·EN·Technology
Instagram’s age verification identified a moustachioed adult as over 16 – but how did it go with a 13-year-old?
Meta is implementing Australia's social media ban for children, deactivating Instagram and Facebook accounts of users under 16, starting December 4th, ahead of the official December 10th ban. Instagram is notifying users whose accounts are set under 16, or suspected to be under 16, about the deactivation.
Josh Taylor Technology reporterThe Guardian - World NewsFiled 2025-12-01 · 14:00 GMTLean · Center-LeftRead · 1 min
The Guardian - World NewsFIG 01
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NEWSAR · AI
Meta is implementing Australia's social media ban for children, deactivating Instagram and Facebook accounts of users under 16, starting December 4th, ahead of the official December 10th ban. Instagram is notifying users whose accounts are set under 16, or suspected to be under 16, about the deactivation. The platform uses methods like "video selfies" or government ID to verify age when users attempt to change their date of birth. Questions are being raised about the effectiveness of Instagram's age verification process, specifically how well it prevents younger users from falsely representing themselves as older. The article explores how easily a 13-year-old could bypass the system.
Confidence 0.85Claims 4Entities 2
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Meta began notifying Instagram and Facebook users whose date of birth is set as under 16 that their accounts will be deactivated.
factualMeta
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Instagram’s age verification identified a moustachioed adult as over 16.
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Meta will start removing access to users under 16 from 4 December due to Australia’s social media ban for children.
factualMeta
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Meta allows users under 16 in Australia to change their date of birth after clearing a ‘video selfie’ or providing government ID.
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1 min read · 160 wordsKey playerOppositionContextPositiveNeutralNegative
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age verification
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instagram
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meta
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social media ban
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under 16
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date of birth
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australia
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video selfie
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account deactivation
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Who appears together in the news Not enough entities in this article to draw a network.