Meta has been systematically recruiting influencers to promote its teen safety features whenever governments consider regulating social media for minors, according to a new report by the Tech Transparency Project. The strategy emerged as Australia enforced a world-first ban on under-16s using social media, and similar measures gained momentum globally.
Influencer Events and Paid Partnerships
In July 2025, Meta hosted a camping-themed event for parenting influencers in Sydney, with Instagram-branded tents, a step-and-repeat, and custom tote bags. The company told influencers that blanket bans on teen social media use were ineffective and encouraged them to share messages about existing parental controls, such as Teen Accounts for users aged 13 to 17. Some influencers were paid via sponsored posts, according to the report.
Meta also leveraged financial support for parent, advocacy, and research groups to push back against bans. Katie Paul, director of the Tech Transparency Project, said Meta's reliance on influencers indicates the company cannot fight these measures alone, which could cost it millions of users. “The brand has become a problem,” Paul said.
Global Context and Government Actions
Australia became the first country to ban under-16s from social media in November 2024, with the law taking effect in December 2025. The ban required companies to shut down existing teen accounts and reject new ones. Indonesia followed in March 2026 with a blanket ban, and some Indian states have issued similar restrictions. Brazil introduced the Digital Statute of Children and Adolescents in March 2026, requiring strict age verification and parental linking of children's accounts.
In Australia, a 2025 government-commissioned study found that 96% of children aged 10 to 15 used social media, and 71% were exposed to harmful content. Meta has since taken down 756,000 accounts suspected of belonging to teens.
Meta's Defense and Criticisms
Meta spokesperson Edward Patterson said, “Blanket bans don't keep young people safe, they simply push them toward less safe, unregulated corners of the internet.” The company stated it works to build strong protections for teens and effective controls for parents.
However, whistleblower Arturo Bejar, who worked on online safety at Meta, criticized the influencer campaign, saying it creates a false promise of safety. “You can still search for suicide and self-harm content even though they promise you can't,” Bejar said. Meta responded that Bejar's experience predated Teen Accounts.
Effectiveness and Enforcement Challenges
Australia's internet regulator found that more than 80% of teens were still using social media three months after the ban, highlighting enforcement difficulties. Andrew Leigh, assistant minister for productivity, competition, charities and treasury, defended the ban, saying, “We don't get 100% compliance out of minimum drinking age laws, but it's still appropriate that we have that law on the books.”
David Greene, senior counsel at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, argued that government intervention should be a last resort, favoring parental control tools. Katie Paul countered that Meta has failed to self-regulate, forcing governments to act. “Facebook and its sister platforms have been around for 20 years at this point and the company has proven that it cannot be trusted to self-regulate,” Paul said.
