Social media ban for children under 16 begins in Australia: NPR

MELBOURNE, Australia – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed the world’s first ban on social media for children under 16 that took effect Wednesday as families take back power from tech giants but warned implementation would be difficult.

Parents have reported distraught children who discovered they had been locked out of the platforms as the landmark law came into effect. Some young children have 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 take back power from these big tech companies and assert the right for children to be children and for parents to have greater peace of mind,” Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“This reform will be life-changing. For Australian children… it allows them to have a childhood. For Australian parents, it will enable them to have greater peace of mind. But also for the global community, which looks at Australia and says: Well, if Australia can do it, why can’t we?” Albanese later told a gathering in Sydney of reform supporters, including parents who blame social media for a child’s suicide.

Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok,

Australia will know by Christmas whether the social media ban has been successful

The ban will be implemented by Australian e-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant. She said the platforms already have the technology and personal data about their users to accurately enforce age restrictions.

On Thursday, the 10 targeted platforms will send notices demanding information on how the age restrictions are being implemented and how many accounts have been closed.

“We will be providing information to the public before Christmas about how these age restrictions will be implemented and whether we see them working initially,” Inman-Grant said.

“The responses to these notices will form the baseline against which we will measure compliance,” she added.

Communications Minister Annika Wales said age-restricted platforms “may not comply with the law and that’s their right – we don’t expect 100% global support”, but everyone pledged to comply with Australian law. It said more than 200,000 TikTok accounts in Australia had already been disabled by Wednesday.

Wells also warned young children who had so far avoided detection that they would eventually be caught. Wells said a child who used a VPN to appear to be in Norway would be discovered if he routinely posted photos of Australian beaches.

“Just because they may have avoided it (detection) today, doesn’t mean they’ll be able to avoid it in a week or a month because social media platforms have to go back and routinely check accounts that are under 16,” Wells said.

She added: “These social media platforms have a lot of data because we choose to give it to them because we love social media and just because you had your big brother scan his face for you today, saving you a little time, doesn’t mean those accounts won’t see you talking to other 14-year-olds tonight about the under-16 football carnival at the weekend, about your upcoming school holidays and about your Year 10 teacher next year.”

Albanese said implementation would be difficult and “will not be perfect.”

“It’s about, more importantly, standing up to big tech and saying that social media companies have a social responsibility,” he said.

The father of a sextortion scam victim says social media blocking is a start

Wayne Holdsworth, who became an advocate for the age restriction because his son Mac committed suicide after falling victim to an online sextortion scam, called the new law a start. Children should now be educated about the dangers of the Internet before they turn sixteen.

“Our lost children did not die in vain because today they will look down with great pride at the work we have all done,” Holdsworth told the Sydney gathering.

Flossie Broadribb, 12, an advocate for social media bans for young children, told attendees she hoped other countries would follow Australia’s example.

“This ban is bold and brave and I believe it will help kids like me grow up healthier, safer, kinder and more connected to the real world,” Flossie said.

Simone Clements said the social media ban would take a financial toll on her 15-year-old twins, Carly and Hayden Clements. Carly is an actress, model, dancer, singer, and influencer. Her brother is an actor and model.

“I know our situation is unique for our family because the kids are in the entertainment industry and social media goes hand in hand with the entertainment industry. We’ve used social media in the most positive way. It’s a platform for them to basically showcase their portfolio, and… this is a source of income for the kids,” the mother told ABC.

Clements said the biggest impact on her children will be losing their young online following.