Meta Platforms announced a significant leadership appointment on January 12, 2026, naming Dina Powell McCormick as the company's new President and Vice Chairman. The appointment marks a strategic addition to the technology giant's executive team.

Executive Background and Experience

McCormick brings substantial financial sector expertise to her new role at Meta, having spent 16 years in senior leadership positions at Goldman Sachs. Her extensive experience in the financial services industry provides valuable strategic and operational insights for Meta's continued growth and development.

Government Service Experience

In addition to her corporate background, McCormick previously served as deputy national security adviser to President Donald Trump during his first term in the White House. This government experience adds a unique dimension to her qualifications, particularly in areas involving regulatory affairs and government relations that are increasingly important for major technology companies.

Strategic Implications for Meta

The appointment reflects Meta's continued focus on strengthening its leadership team with executives who possess diverse experience across both private sector and government domains. McCormick's dual background in financial services and national security advisory roles positions her to contribute to Meta's strategic initiatives and stakeholder engagement efforts.

Meta's decision to create this senior executive position demonstrates the company's commitment to expanding its leadership structure as it continues to navigate the evolving technology landscape and regulatory environment.

Meta Platforms Inc. has taken significant action to comply with Australia's groundbreaking social media ban for children, shutting down approximately 550,000 accounts across its platforms. The company announced these measures in a blog post, marking one of the largest account closure operations in response to age-restriction legislation.

Account Closure Breakdown

The social media giant's compliance efforts resulted in substantial account closures across its three main platforms:

These accounts belonged to users believed to be under 16 years of age, as required by the new Australian legislation.

Legislative Framework and Penalties

Australia's social media ban for children came into effect on December 10, establishing the country as the world's first democracy to implement such comprehensive restrictions. The law targets major social media platforms, including ByteDance Ltd.'s TikTok and Meta's Instagram, requiring them to prevent under-16s from accessing their services.

The legislation carries substantial financial penalties for non-compliance:

Meta's Position and Concerns

Despite complying with the new requirements, Meta has maintained its opposition to the ban. The company advocates for alternative approaches to protecting young users online, calling for standard age-verification processes and more comprehensive industry-wide protections for young people across all applications.

Meta has expressed particular concern about the potential migration of teenagers to alternative social media platforms, describing this as a "whack-a-mole effect." The company argues that teens may simply move to new applications to circumvent the social media ban law, potentially creating new challenges for child safety online.

Global Implications

Australia's legislation represents a significant milestone in global efforts to address concerns about social media's impact on children and adolescents. The law's implementation and Meta's substantial compliance response may influence similar regulatory approaches in other jurisdictions worldwide.

The scale of account closures demonstrates the significant presence of underage users on major social media platforms and highlights the challenges platforms face in age verification and compliance with evolving regulatory requirements.