Murray Olds: Australian correspondent on Meta closing teen accounts ahead of Aussie social media ban

Australian teenagers have been warned their accounts of Facebook, Instagram and Threads will be shut down ahead of the country's incoming social media ban.

Meta has confirmed it has started notifying users between 13 and 15 years old by text, email and in-app messages that their accounts would be deactivated come December. 

Australian correspondent Murray Olds says Meta has encouraged young users to download their content now, before the data gets removed.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News talks'd be follow
this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
International Correspondence with Ends and Eye Insurance, Peace of Mind
for New Zealand Business.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Murray old Aussie correspondents to that's a mus very good afternoon, Heather.

Speaker 3 (00:27):
Okay, so it's just a couple of weeks, is it,
and phase he's going to start kicking the kids off.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Well a little bit longer. But in fact, the tenth
of December is the date that this ban on under
sixteen's using social media comes into force in Australia, first
country in the world to do this. But what the
big you know, the big social media giant, Meta has
done is send out a warning letter, if you like,

(00:53):
a warning email to all the kids who are on
these platforms. In a fortnight, we're going to start turning
off your accounts, so you either have to download or
delete or you're going to lose the data. Now, if
the children wanted to this, they have to have facial
scans or prove that they're actually sixteen or over. Now,

(01:14):
Metters told the federal government hundreds of thousands of accounts
will be removed by December the tenth. Almost every single
matter platform Heather's covered. The only exception appears to be Messenger,
but things like Facebook, Insta, threads, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, raddit,
kick x, the list goes on. All of these are
going to be banned to under sixteens, along with lots

(01:34):
of warning messages. Account Holders also being urged to provide
contact details. I mean, this is a commercial opportunity here.
Don't forget kids. When you turn sixteen, come back, give
us some contact details and we'll be in touch as
soon as you turned sixteen.

Speaker 3 (01:48):
Yeah, that's a fair point that you make.

Speaker 2 (01:49):
This. What's going on? See how it works? Well?

Speaker 3 (01:51):
Do you are you a douter?

Speaker 2 (01:54):
Well, I just want to know how on earth it's
going to be policed. I mean, a mums and dad's
going to do it. They've had a pretty poor job
up to now. A mums and dad's going to be
at this or the lawses? Please, it's is that going
to work? Let's have to wait and see. I mean
Australia is the game?

Speaker 3 (02:09):
Well, I mean look, does it have to work one
hundred percent beautifully perfectly for it to work?

Speaker 2 (02:15):
Now? I get that? I mean, you know the perfect
count's down.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
In the way of the good, right exactly.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
Yes, you see how it goes. I'm a skeptic, but
I'm not the only one too. But let's see.

Speaker 3 (02:23):
I mean, because think about it like this, muzz right,
we ban kids under the age of eighteen from buying fags.
Sometimes kids still manage to get the hands on fags,
and but for that we don't go all better if
that band, then we still think it's worth the band, right,
because we still think it's worth true. Yeah, so I think,
I mean, I think it is fair to have some
questions about this. But I just wonder if we're getting

(02:44):
tripped up a little bit, as you say, worrying about
the perfect when we can just try the good. Listen,
tell me what's going on with these drive bys? Do
we know what's going on?

Speaker 2 (02:51):
Here was another well last night in Sydney, Southwest Sydney.
There were three in four hours. Two homes and a
business were shot up, but luckily no one hurt. In
one of the home shootings, there was only one bullet.
Five I say only one bullet. I mean they're not
trying hard. Now police now investigating whether they're link. There
were two cars set alight in the wake of these

(03:12):
three shootings. Now police set up earlier this year a
special task force because basically they've lost cannon a number
of shootings this year alone. It's the underworld fighting each
other over the drug trade. Extremely lucrative as you might
expect in the city of five and a half six
million people, a lot of people using Persian rugs and
a lot of money to be made when you sell

(03:33):
and distribute them. So police, you know, they say they've
got a handle on it, but she was last night
three and four hours. Certainly doesn't seem so. The poor
buggers who were copping the bullets us.

Speaker 3 (03:43):
Did you just say Persian rugs?

Speaker 2 (03:47):
Oh, I'm sorry, I may have done. I mean drugs. Sorry,
Persian drugs. I thought, geez, the Persian rugs.

Speaker 1 (03:55):
I reckon.

Speaker 3 (03:55):
I've got a couple under the basement, like minded. Whip
them out all right, buzz thanks, I really really appreciate it.
Murray Old's Australia corresponding.

Speaker 1 (04:02):
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