Australia’s world-first blanket ban on social media for children under 16 officially took effect at midnight on Wednesday, with major platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, and X forced to block access for underage users or face fines of up to A$50 million (US$33 million) per breach.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed the rollout as “a proud day” and “one of the biggest social and cultural changes our nation has faced,” declaring in a video message that families were finally “taking back power from big tech” and giving parents greater peace of mind. “Today we are proving that governments can stand up to the tech giants and put the safety of our kids first,” he said.
The legislation, passed with bipartisan support last month despite fierce opposition from Meta, Google, TikTok, and Elon Musk’s X, applies to all interactive platforms but exempts messaging apps (WhatsApp, Signal), educational tools, health services, and gaming platforms. Companies have been given until December 2026 to implement robust age-verification systems—a mix of behavioural analysis, facial age estimation, selfie checks, and government ID uploads—but were required to immediately begin blocking under-16 accounts from midnight Tuesday.
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In the final hours before the cutoff, thousands of Australian teenagers flooded TikTok and Instagram with emotional “goodbye” videos, some tearfully bidding farewell to followers they had built over years, while others posted countdown timers and memes joking about “going dark”. By Wednesday morning, users attempting to log in under the age of 16 were met with messages stating the account had been restricted “in accordance with Australian law”.
Tech giants had warned the ban was technically unworkable without a national digital ID and would drive children toward unregulated corners of the internet, but the government rejected calls for delay. X, the last major platform to confirm compliance, issued a terse statement: “It’s not our choice—the law requires it.”
Early surveys show strong parental support (over 75 per cent in favour) but deep scepticism among teenagers, many of whom say they will simply use VPNs or lie about their age. Enforcement responsibility now shifts to the platforms, with the eSafety Commissioner empowered to issue massive daily fines for systemic non-compliance. The landmark law is being closely watched by governments in Europe, the UK, Canada, and several US states considering similar restrictions.
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