eSAFETY GUIDE
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Facebook

16+
Minimum age for Australians from 4 December 2025, according to Facebook
16+ Minimum age for Australians from 4 December 2025, according to Facebook

What is Facebook?

Facebook is a social media service owned by Meta. On Facebook, you can do things like add friends, interact with other users, post updates, share photos and videos (including live videos), and join groups based on your interests. You must have an account to use Facebook. You also have the option to make a Facebook page for your business, organisation or brand.

You can subscribe to the pages of other people or organisations, so that you receive updates about them. Your Facebook feed will likely be a mix of advertisements and posts made by people or brands you follow. You can leave comments or use ‘reactions’ to interact with these posts – a long-press on the like button gives you the option to use one of six emotions, including ‘like’, ‘love’, ‘care’, ‘haha’, ‘wow’, ‘sad’ and ‘angry.’ Facebook also has a short-form video feature called ‘reels’, where you can watch and create quick videos, similar to TikTok or Instagram reels.

Facebook has additional settings that allow you to block certain words in the comments people leave on your posts (keyword blocking). This function is also available if you manage a Facebook page. You can also make your posts public or private, choose who sees individual posts and control if other people can tag you in posts. If you want extra privacy, you can lock your profile so that only your friends can see your posts and photos.

Facebook also has a private messaging service called Messenger. You can also access Meta AI, an artificial intelligence chatbot, through Facebook’s search function, which can answer questions and search the internet.

The 'Stories' feature lets you post short videos to your profile and apply overlay and filter effects. These videos only stay on your page for 24 hours then disappear.

Facebook Lite is a simplified version of Facebook that is ideal for people with slow or unreliable connections, low-end devices or limited data plans.

Facebook is free to use, and advertising appears on the platform.

Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace is a feature within Facebook that lets users buy and sell items locally. You can browse nearby listings within a certain distance of your current location. You can filter your search by category including furniture, clothes, vehicles, and properties for rent – or search for something specific. When you find something you’re interested in, you can message the seller through Facebook Messenger to ask questions, agree on a price, and organise a time and place to meet. A trustworthy seller should be happy to answer your questions and give details about the item. For safety, you may want to choose to meet in public if it is practical. Be careful of scams – don’t send deposits or pay in advance and be cautious of deals that seem too good to be true.

Facebook Events

Facebook also has a tool for creating and joining events called Facebook Events. These can be for any type of event, such as a birthday party, trivia night or a protest. You can make a public event that anyone can find or a private one for just your friends. You can track RSVPs (who’s going, maybe going and not going). You can also search for events happening near you or in another area, filtered by category and date.

Website: facebook.com

Apps: Android app, Apple iOS app

How do people use Facebook?

Learn more about the benefits and risks associated with how people use social media like Facebook.

Facebook is used for: content creation, live streaming, location sharing, messaging/online chat, online relationships and photo/video sharing. 

Messenger, linked to and accessible via Facebook, is used for content sharing, messaging/online chat, online relationships, photo/video sharing, screen capture, voice chat and video calling.

Social media age restrictions for under-16s

Meta announced that from 4 December 2025, Australians under 16 will no longer have access to their Facebook accounts or be able to create a new account. This change is in response to the Australian Government's social media age restrictions.

Users aged 16 and older who mistakenly receive a notification or lose access to their accounts have the option to confirm their age through Meta’s third-party partner, Yoti, by providing a video selfie or government-issued ID. Yoti deletes this information once the age check is complete.

These links are provided by Facebook:

How to report online abuse or ask for content to be removed

These links are provided by Facebook:

How to block someone on Facebook

If you experience serious online abuse, resist the urge to get rid of any messages or comments immediately. If you end up reporting the abuse to the service or platform, or to eSafety or the police, you will need evidence to show where and when the content was sent, posted or shared. Collect this now, because if the other person's account is blocked the evidence will disappear.

This link is provided by Facebook:

How to restrict someone on Facebook and choose who you share content with

These links are provided by Facebook:

  • Restrict someone on Facebook
    How to add someone to your restricted list so they will only see your public posts or posts you tag them in. They will not be notified they have been restricted.
  • Choose who can see your post on Facebook
    How to choose the audience for individual posts, such as 'friends', 'only me' or 'custom audiences', which allow you to share or hide posts from specific people.

How to moderate comments and tagging

These links are provided by Facebook:

How to protect your personal information

These links are provided by Facebook:

  • Privacy settings 
    Learn how to keep your account as secure as possible.
  • Profile information 
    Manage who can see your profile information and friend list.
  • Who can see your posts 
    Choose who can see images and other content you post on Facebook.
  • Reactions and comments 
    Control who can see your reactions, comments or anything else you share.
  • Control how your Facebook information is shared with other apps and games 
    Limit the personal information and photos Facebook can share with external apps and games.
  • Ad preferences
    Change your settings to adjust how you view, add and remove different ad preferences.
  • Meta AI chat history
    See or download your Meta AI chat history and learn more about the type of information Meta collects and how it uses this data.
  • Download your account data
    Download a copy of everything you have shared on Facebook, including photos and videos. You can also download data such as your activity across Facebook, personal information, connections, logged information, security and login information, apps and websites off Facebook, preferences and ad information. 

How do I lock my Facebook profile?

This link is provided by Facebook:

How to deactivate Facebook

This link is provided by Facebook:

  • Temporarily deactivate your Facebook account
    Deactivating your Facebook account lets you take a break from Facebook and come back to it later. It’s a temporary measure that gives you the option to reactivate your account whenever you’re ready. Deleting your account, however, is permanent.

How to delete Facebook account

This link is provided by Facebook:

  • Permanently delete your Facebook account
    Deleting your Facebook account gets rid of it for good. It means you can no longer access your photos, friends list, comments, games and other data on Facebook.

Key safety links

These links are provided by Facebook:

  • Parents 
    Provides a range of safety information for parents and carers about using Facebook, and other Meta services.
  • Help centre 
    Offers a range of general help, safety and security information and popular topics.
  • Security check-up 
    Provides information on how to protect your information both on and off Facebook.
  • Data policy 
    Outlines Facebook’s policy on the type of information they collect and how they use it.
  • Generative AI at Meta
    Outlines how messages are generated by Meta AI, including warnings that messages may be inaccurate and inappropriate.

Related eSafety links

Find out more about the social media age restrictions and access our social media 'ban' or delay FAQ for the facts.

Additionally, find other resources to help keep you safe online:

Social media changes are coming

From 10 December 2025, certain social media platforms won’t be allowed to let Australian children under 16 create or keep an account.

Find out more at eSafety’s social media age restrictions hub.

About The eSafety Guide

The eSafety Guide helps you find out how to protect your personal information and report harmful content on common social media, games, apps and sites. Entries are for information only and are not reviews or endorsements by eSafety. Before choosing to use any online service or platform it’s best to:

  • do your own research to understand the risks and benefits
  • check the age rating and requirements
  • consider privacy
  • check the permissions and other settings
  • check the in-app reporting options.

If you are a parent or carer who is deciding whether a child should be allowed to use an online service or platform, you can also:

  • consider your child's readiness for the types of content and experiences they might encounter
  • help them understand what to do if they need help
  • provide ongoing support and monitoring, for example through regular check-ins with your child
  • agree to some rules about use of each service or platform.

To find out more, you can read the App checklist for parents, as well as information about parental controls in social media, games and apps and mental wellbeing resources for families.