Australia becomes the first democracy to ban social media for under-16s on December 10, affecting 86% of children aged 8-15, but implementation is already unraveling. While Minister Annika Wells cited internal documents showing platforms like Meta and TikTok knew their products were “behavioural cocaine” for teens, the government’s own eSafety Commissioner admits they won’t “totally turn off the spigot.”
Teens are bypassing restrictions by changing account emails to parents’ addresses and moving to unregulated platforms like Coverstar and Yope, which lack safety protections. The ban only prevents account creation—teens can still view all public content—raising questions about effectiveness. Countries including Norway, the UK, and France are watching Australia’s experiment closely as youth mental health issues rise 50% since 2007, though researchers dispute whether social media is the primary cause.
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