Australia's world-first social media ban for children has taken effect, with throngs of teenagers waking up to find their accounts have gone dark. Others tell BBC they have already snuck past barriers and will continue scrolling and posting freely until they are caught.
The new law means social media firms - including Meta, TikTok, and YouTube - must take reasonable steps to ensure Australians aged under 16 don't hold accounts on their platforms. The ban, eyed with excitement by global leaders and trepidation by tech companies, was justified as necessary to protect children from harmful content and algorithms - though critics have argued blanket prohibition is neither practical nor wise.
This landmark policy has been one of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's pet projects, and speaking to media on Wednesday, he said he believed it has the power to change lives around the world. This is a day in which my pride to be prime minister of Australia has never been greater, he said, flanked by parents and media figures who had pushed for the ban. This is Australia showing enough is enough. He added, I think it will go [down] with the other great reforms that Australia has led the world on.
Various governments, from the US state of Florida to the European Union, have been experimenting with limiting children's use of social media, but Australia is the first jurisdiction to deny parental approval exemptions in a policy like this, making its laws the world's strictest. Countries like Denmark, Malaysia, Singapore, Greece, and Brazil are looking at Australia as a test case.
The Australian government has named 10 social media platforms as a start, including the most popular ones, while warning others it's coming for them next. Online safety regulator Julie Inman Grant said her agency will start checking compliance from Thursday. Parents and children won't be liable under this law; only social media firms face fines of up to A$49.5 million ($33 million, £24.5 million) for serious breaches.
Polling shows the ban is wildly popular with parents, but it is far less popular with children. Backed by some mental health advocates, many have argued it robs young people of connection, particularly those from LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, or rural communities, and will leave them less equipped to tackle the realities of life on the web. Experts are worried kids will easily circumvent the ban by tricking the technology performing the age checks.
Despite these criticisms, the Australian government claims that this ban is a necessary step toward safeguarding children online. The long-term effectiveness of this policy, and reactions from social media firms, remains to be seen.
