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australian prime minister Anthony Albanese The government welcomed the world’s first social media ban for children under 16, which took effect on Wednesday as families took back power from tech giants, but warned implementation would be difficult.
Parents told distressed children that they have been locked out of the platforms after the landmark law was implemented. Some young children reported fooling the platform’s age estimation technology by drawing facial hair. Parents and older siblings are also expected to help some children avoid restrictions.
“This is the day Australian families are taking the power back from these big tech companies and they’re insisting on the right of kids to be kids and peace of mind for parents,” Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
“This reform will be life-changing. For Australian children… allowing them to live out their childhood. For Australian parents, giving them 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?” Albanese later said sydney A gathering of reform supporters, including parents who blame social media for child suicide.
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Australia to report by Christmas on whether social media ban is working
The ban will be enforced by Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant. He said the platform already has the technology and personal data about its users to accurately enforce age restrictions.
It will send a notice to the 10 targeted platforms on Thursday seeking information on how the age restriction is being implemented and how many accounts have been closed.
“We will be providing information to the public before Christmas about how these age restrictions are being implemented and whether, initially, we see them working,” Inman Grant said.
“The response to these notices will form the baseline against which we will measure compliance,” he said.
Communications Minister Anika Wells said age-restricted platforms “may not agree with the law and that’s their right – we don’t expect 100% universal support,” but all have pledged to abide by Australian law. He said more than 200,000 TikTok accounts in Australia had already been deactivated by Wednesday.
Wells also warned young children who were still avoiding detection that they would eventually be caught. Wells said a child who used a virtual private network to appear to be in Norway would be caught if he was regularly posting photos of Australian beaches.
“Just because they’ve avoided it (detection) today doesn’t mean they’ll be able to avoid it in a week or a month’s time because social media platforms have to go back and regularly check under-16 accounts,” Wells said.
“These social media platforms have a lot of data about us because we choose to give it to them because we love social media and just because you got your face scanned by your older brother today, which has bought you a bit of time, doesn’t mean these accounts won’t see you talking to other 14-year-olds about the under-16 football carnival at the weekend, about your upcoming school holidays and what your Year 10 teacher is up to next year,” she said.
Albanese said implementation would be difficult and “will not be perfect.”
“This is, importantly, about pushing back against big tech,” he said, adding that social media companies have a social responsibility.
Sextortion scam victim’s father says social media ban is a start
Wayne Holdsworth, who became an advocate of age restrictions after his son Mac took his own life after becoming the victim of an online sextortion scam, called the new law a start. Children Now they should be educated about online dangers before they turn 16.
Holdsworth told the Sydney gathering, “The children we have lost have not died in vain because today they would be very proud of the work that we have done.”
Flossie Brodribb, 12, who has advocated banning social media for young children, told the gathering she hoped other countries would follow Australia.
“This ban is bold and courageous and I believe it will help kids like me be healthier, safer, kinder and more connected to the real world,” Flossie said.
Simone Clements said the social media ban would cause financial harm to her 15-year-old twins, Carly and Hayden Clements. Carly is an actor, model, dancer, singer and influencer. His brother is an actor and model.
“I know our situation is unique to 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 possible. And it’s a platform for them to basically show off their portfolio, and … it’s a source of income for the kids,” the mom told ABC.
Clements said the biggest impact on his children will be the loss of his young followers online.