Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese welcomed a world-first social media ban for children younger than 16 as it took effect on Wednesday.
But he warned the implementation would be difficult.
Parents reported distraught children discovering they had been shut out of platforms as the landmark law took effect. Some young children reported fooling the platforms’ age estimation technology by drawing on facial hair.
Parents and older siblings are also expected to help some children circumvent the restrictions.
READ MORE
“This is the day when Australian families are taking back power from these big tech companies and they’re asserting the right of kids to be kids and for parents to have greater peace of mind,” Mr Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
“This reform will change lives. For Australian kids ... allowing them to just have their childhood.
“For Australian parents, enabling them to have greater peace of mind.
“But also for the global community, who are looking at Australia and saying: well, if Australia can do it, why can’t we?” Mr Albanese later told a Sydney gathering of reform supporters, including parents who blame social media for a child’s suicide.
[ A grand social media experiment begins in Australia. Will it work?Opens in new window ]
Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube and Twitch face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (€28.3 million) from Wednesday if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove the accounts of Australian children younger than 16.
The ban will be enforced by Australia’s eSafety commissioner Julie Inman Grant.
She said the platforms already had the technology and personal data about their users to enforce the age restriction with precision.
Ms Inman Grant will send the 10 targeted platforms on Thursday notices demanding information on how the age restriction was being implemented and how many accounts had been closed.
“We will provide information to the public before Christmas on how these age restrictions are being implemented and whether preliminarily we see them working,” she said.
In the hours leading up to the ban’s midnight start, a flurry of goodbye messages came from teenagers – as well as adults – on platforms including TikTok, Instagram and Reddit.
“I’ll miss you guys,” posted 29-year-old Melbourne creator Josh Partington, who makes comedy sketches about Australian life for more than 75,000 TikTok followers.
Some 200,000 accounts have already been deactivated on TikTok alone, the government said, with “hundreds of thousands” to be blocked in the coming days.
Young Australians, who have grown up using social media, faced the prospect of losing access to their favourite apps with a mix of sadness, humour and disbelief.
“I’m going to miss you soo much and especially the funny content,” one TikTok user wrote to their followers. “See you in a few years, but I don’t know if my account will still be standing.”
“Goodbye, see you on the other side,” another said.
There were edits posted of users’ favourite memes, while many urged their followers to join alternative platforms such as Yope, Lemon8 and Coverstar, which are not yet covered by the law.
On Reddit, users also posted goodbye notes. “As an autistic 13-year-old I am devastated,” one popular post said.
“My playlist of 1,400+ songs on YouTube will be deleted and Reddit too, I have zero friends ... I will be completely alone for the next three years until I am 16.”
Some stayed online until midnight on Tuesday, posting clips of clocks counting down set to Adele’s Skyfall and its lyrics, “this is the end.”
Others took their frustration out on Mr Albanese, who has lost 6,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram since Tuesday.
“Just wait until we’re able to vote,” one person commented on Albanese’s TikTok account.
Not all teenagers were against the ban. “Social media ban is probably for the best of us,” a TikTok user said. “All we do is sit behind a screen for hours.” – Agencies
