Millions of Australian teenagers aged under 16 have been kicked off social media platforms after the government ban came into effect today. And the whole world is watching.
It was a case of all out for anyone under 16 as the platforms systematically closed accounts across the country.
This effects users on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, X, Snapchat, Kick, Twitch and Threads with platforms facing fines of neatly $50m if they don’t show they have made “reasonable” attempts to prevent anyone under 16 from having an account.
We’ve already heard of cases where hundreds of teens under 16 have fooled the age assurance test – this is basically a scan of your face to determine your age.
The government said it wouldn’t be perfect – and they were right.
Similarly, teens over 16 who have been banned incorrectly can appeal the ban by producing a credit card or government ID.
There may well be lots of Under 16 accounts still active today – today marks the start of the ban, not the end and platforms have plenty of time to make their move.
We understand the platform must report weekly numbers of banned accounts to the government as part of adhering to the ban.
Interestingly Elon Musk’s X platform (formerly Twitter) had, as of yesterday, not confirmed whether it will comply with the ban.
This is a world first move here in Australia, and it has captured the attention of the world.
There are already some social bans in place in France, Italy and Germany where minors need their parent’s permission to create an account if they are younger than 14 (in France and Italy) and under 16 (in Germany).
In Britain there have already been talks about whether the government should follow Australia’s lead.
In the US, where the major tech companies behind the social media platforms are located, there has been a mixed reaction.
The heads of all the major tech companies were all in attendance at President Trump’s inauguration and appear to have created a working relationship that best suits their interests.
Potential presidential candidate and former President Clinton advisor Rahm Emanuel told Politico he will pushing for the US to follow Australia’s lead and ban under 16s from social media.
Naturally Australian teens will be trying to work around the ban.
Some will be using a VPN (virtual private network) to trick the platforms into thinking they are logging in to the platform from another country.
But the platforms will be able to see what mobile network they are connected to and the country where they downloaded the app.
There are some alternative apps for exiled social media users like Lemon8, created by TikTok creator ByteDance, where you can share images and videos. Can’t see that one lasting long.
There’s also Yope – a private video and photo sharing app among friends. It is no different to a WhatsApp group.
Do we agree with the social media ban? No.
This is basically the government telling you they know better than parents on how to raise and communicate with their children.
Yes there are elements of social media that should be banned and yes the algorithm is designed to work like heroin – hook you and keep you coming back.
It should be the algorithm that’s banned before adopting a rating system not too different to games and movies that should apply to social media.
These algorithms exist to harvest our data. These platforms don’t cost money to use because we are the product – our data is what is used for them to make billions of dollars a year.
But what about the positive and inspirational aspects of social media – these are no longer accessible either.
And what happens to the youth who rely on social media to keep them connected to sporting and community groups? They are now isolated.
I can respect the government’s motives to reduce bullying and teen suicides by imposing this ban.
But the social media ban does not apply to messaging apps where a lot of the bullying takes place.
Of course, none of the platforms agree with this move – they said as much when they begrudgingly announced they would be complying.
Will the social media ban be successful? Only time will tell.
