Meta has begun warning hundreds of thousands of Australian teens that their Facebook, Instagram and Threads accounts will be shut down ahead of the nation’s world-first ban on social media use for under-16s.

But the tech giant says it expects significant mistakes as it races to identify who is actually underage.

From this week, users Meta believes are younger than 16 will receive in-app alerts, emails and SMS messages advising they have 14 days to download their data before losing access.

Account removals begin 4 December, ahead of the Albanese government’s 10 December deadline.

Messenger is excluded, forcing Meta to fast-track a new system allowing teens to use the messaging app without an associated Facebook account.

Meta says it will rely on a mix of age-detection tools, including government ID checks and Yoti-powered “video selfie” age scans, but admits the process will be far from perfect.

Independent testing for the government earlier this year showed facial age estimation returned false negatives for about one in seven 16-year-olds, raising the prospect of thousands of legal users being wrongly kicked off.

“We expect errors,” said Meta global safety chief Antigone Davis, adding that compliance will be “ongoing and multi-layered.”

Users who are 16 or older but flagged incorrectly will need to verify their age through ID or facial scans. Anyone attempting to change their listed age from under 16 to over 16 will also face verification.

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Meta estimates 350,000 Instagram accounts and 150,000 Facebook accounts belong to Australian users aged 13 to 15. Those removed can regain access once they turn 16, with all posts and messages preserved if they opt not to delete their account entirely.

The company continues to argue the ban is misguided, advocating instead for parental approval requirements and app-store-level age checks. “We believe a better approach is required,” Davis said.

TikTok and Snapchat say they will comply with the ban, while YouTube maintains it should not be included and has not confirmed its position. X has expressed opposition and may face fines of up to $50 million if it refuses to take “reasonable steps” to block under-16s.

The eSafety Commissioner says the ban is aimed at shielding young people from online harms but acknowledges no age-verification method is foolproof.