Social media ban for children under 16 begins in Australia

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.

“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.

Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube and Twitch face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars (£24.7 million) from Wednesday if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove the accounts of Australian children younger than 16.

– Australia to report by Christmas if social media ban is working

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.