Tech giant Meta has urged the Australian Government to rethink its world-first ban on social media use for children under the age of 16, even as the company reported blocking more than 5.44 lakh underage accounts under the new law, news agency AFP reported.

Australia introduced the legislation on December 10, 2025, requiring major social media platforms — including Meta, TikTok and YouTube — to prevent users under 16 from holding accounts. Companies that fail to take what the law describes as “reasonable steps” to enforce the ban face fines of up to Australian dollar 49.5 million (US dollar 33 million).  Notably, children and parents are not punished for breaking the rules.