A social media ban for children and teenagers was launched in Australia.
Ten major platforms are affected, including TikTok and YouTube.
However, at least in the first few hours after this globally unique ban came into effect on Wednesday, many of those affected seemed to be able to circumvent it by providing false age information - or didn't even notice it yet.
On affected platforms like Reddit and TikTok, posts have been increasing, indicating that nothing has changed for some users under 16. On TikTok, one user wrote to Australia's Prime Minister: "Dear Anthony Albanese, I've circumvented your ban."
Numerous other teenagers reported that their accounts remained active even though the law had already come into effect. "I'm still here," several accounts commented under a TikTok video from Wednesday evening (local time) in which the Prime Minister praised the new regulation in a series of images.
The government had previously announced that not all affected accounts might be blocked immediately on December 10th. The ban affects ten services, including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, YouTube, X, Reddit, and Twitch.
Albanese, for his part, insisted that the ban was already a success despite the apparent loopholes: "Success is the fact that it is happening. Success is the fact that we are having this discussion," he said at an event in Sydney, according to the Australian news agency AAP.
Highly controversial law
The highly controversial law was passed at the end of 2024 and came into effect on Wednesday (local time) despite criticism and a challenge before the Supreme Court. Almost all major parties supported Prime Minister Albanese's initiative in parliament. The platforms were given twelve months to prepare for the new age restrictions.
The aim is to protect children and young people from the risks associated with the use of social media - such as excessive screen time, cyberbullying, and the consumption of content that can hurt mental and ultimately physical health.
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