Anthony Albanese, the prime minister of Australia, stood agency Wednesday as Australia turned the primary nation to ban youngsters underneath 16 from main social media platforms.

Many youngsters posted movies bragging about bypassing the restrictions inside hours of implementation.

The Prime Minister known as the December 9 launch “one of the biggest social and cultural changes that our nation has faced” whereas teenagers flooded TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat with posts mocking the brand new guidelines.

Some customers shared screenshots of efficiently creating accounts regardless of the age verification methods.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant acknowledged “hiccups” on day one however dismissed claims the ban had failed. She introduced plans to ship info notices to tech giants inside seven to 10 days, demanding progress stories on account deactivations. Companies face fines as much as $49.5 million for non-compliance.

More than 200,000 TikTok accounts in Australia had been already deactivated earlier than the ban took impact, Communications Minister Anika Wells revealed. The authorities plans to request up to date numbers from all platforms lined by the laws.

Elon Musk’s X turned the ultimate holdout to verify compliance, with the platform stating “it’s not our choice, it’s what Australian law requires.” Musk had beforehand criticized the ban as a “backdoor way to control the internet usage of all Australians.”

The laws targets Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X and YouTube, requiring platforms to make use of “reasonable steps” to stop underage customers from creating accounts. Gaming platforms like Roblox and messaging companies stay exempt.

International consideration has targeted intensely on Australia’s method. Malaysia introduced plans for the same ban in 2026, whereas Republican Senator Josh Hawley informed reporters American dad and mom would welcome comparable restrictions. “Parents need help, and they feel like they’re swimming upstream when everybody else has social media,” Hawley mentioned.

Critics argue the rushed laws, handed in simply 9 days, ignores professional warnings about isolating susceptible youngsters from on-line assist communities. Youth psychological well being professional Patrick McGorry mentioned the federal government “did not listen to experts” when formulating the coverage.

Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt praised the ban as “one of the most important international reforms” to scale back hurt from social media on youngsters. He in contrast the milestone to Victoria’s world-first obligatory seatbelt legislation in 1970.

Inman Grant emphasised the ban goals to assist dad and mom moderately than punish households. “The primary reason being, they didn’t want their children to be excluded,” she mentioned, referring to why 90% of fogeys beforehand helped youngsters aged 8-12 arrange social media accounts.

The watchdog will monitor compliance via intelligence gathering and investigations. “It is not just the regulation that deters these companies – it’s the reputational damage and the impact on revenue,” Inman Grant warned.

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