Australia's nationwide ban on social media accounts for children under the age of 16 took effect on Wednesday.

The country passed the law, that blocks minors from having social media accounts on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and Reddit, last year.

Australia's social media ban for users under 16 takes effect
Kalika Mehta AFP, Reuters, dpa

In the hours before the cutoff, some children posted goodbye messages to their online audiences, using tags such as "#seeyouwhenim16."

If companies fail to comply with new rules to keep minors off their platforms, they face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($32.9 million, €30 million).

"This is indeed a proud day to be Australian," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, as he described the measure as a major step toward improving online safety for young people.

Here are the key points:

• Australia has blocked under-16s from major social media platforms
• Platforms face fines of up to A$49.5 million for noncompliance
• Children began losing access as the law took effect Wednesday
• Tech companies and rights groups have criticized the move
• Other governments are studying Australia's model

Albanese called the reform "one of the biggest social and cultural changes that our nation has faced." 

https://www.dw.com/en/australia-social-media-ban-for-children-under-16-is-now-in-effect/a-75083540

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SEE ALSO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxRB5qWphJE

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https://michaelwest.com.au/billionaires-love-the-under-16-social-media-ban-the-west-report/

Governments say the under 16 social media ban is about protecting kids, but the biggest winners are the billionaires and media empires that have been campaigning for it. In this episode we break down what the ban really does, why the Murdoch machine pushed it, and how it quietly hands more control to corporate media while doing little to regulate the platforms causing the harm.

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