Digital purge: Meta deletes 550,000 accounts as Australia’s social media ID law reshapes the internet Australia’s draconian social media ban for users under 16 forced Meta to delete 550,000 accounts (330K Instagram, 173K Facebook, 40K Threads) within weeks. Platforms face fines if they fail to enforce age verification, pushing companies like Meta to err on the side of mass deletions rather than risk penalties Canberra government justifies the ban as protecting youth from online harms, yet no evidence suggests banning social media improves mental health – while isolation, lost support networks and migration to unmoderated spaces (as even Meta admits) may…

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