Australia
Australian small businesses have taken a fast-growing number of Facebook and Instagram suspension disputes to the Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO), while the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman cannot handle complaints about platforms. Under the under-16 ban in force since 10 December 2025, people aged 16 or over who are wrongly flagged can verify their age with ID or a video selfie.
As of 2026-10-26
Official appeal routes
channelnews.com.au
Meta said people aged 16 or over who were wrongly caught can regain access by verifying their age with a government ID or a Yoti video selfie. In government trials, facial age estimation wrongly judged about one in seven 16-year-olds to be younger.
Regulators and public bodies
Businesses flood ombudsman with Facebook, Instagram disputes: ASBFEO (opens in a new tab)
smartcompany.com.au
New digital-platform disputes managed by the ombudsman rose from 49 in the June 2025 quarter to 359 in the June 2026 quarter, close to half of all its cases, mostly Facebook and Instagram suspensions and removals that businesses say were automated with no human review. The ombudsman asks businesses to use its dedicated dispute form.
Digital platform services inquiry – March 2025 final report (opens in a new tab)
accc.gov.au
The ACCC’s final report supported creating an external dispute resolution body for digital platform disputes, which 82% of consumers surveyed favoured, and noted the harm account deactivations cause small businesses.
Why small business is fighting back against Meta bans (opens in a new tab)
aapnews.aap.com.au
AAP reported that complaints about digital platforms to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman rose 20% in 2025, but platforms are outside its jurisdiction, so it cannot resolve them. The report describes a Brisbane hair salon that was suspended over alleged child sexual exploitation and later restored.
Meta, TikTok Flagged for Potential Breaches of Australia Ban (opens in a new tab)
news.bloomberglaw.com
eSafety’s first compliance report on the under-16 ban raised serious concerns about Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube.
Meta shutdowns: The Risks of Relying on One Platform (opens in a new tab)
qsbc.qld.gov.au
The Queensland Small Business Commissioner advises businesses to use several channels so that a Meta ban does not cut them off from customers.
Reporting
Meta Says It’s Shut Down 750,000 Youth Accounts in Australia (opens in a new tab)
news.bgov.com
Meta said it had blocked access to more than 750,000 accounts it believed belonged to under-16s in Australia.
SmartCompany: La Casa Homewares accounts removed by Meta (opens in a new tab)
smartcompany.com.au
A Sydney homewares business’s accounts were removed under Meta’s fraud and deception policy, and the owner asked politicians to intervene.
Star Mail: Healesville business caught up in wrongful Meta suspensions (opens in a new tab)
mountevelyn.mailcommunity.com.au
A Healesville business lost access to its linked business accounts after the owner’s personal account was suspended.
Please note
This page collects public material as general information. It is not legal advice. Bodies and procedures change, so check the original link before you apply.
For step-by-step official procedures, see the recovery guide.