Australia has become the first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking access to platforms including TikTok, Alphabet’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook from midnight. Ten of the biggest platforms were ordered to block children from midnight on Wednesday (1300 GMT on Tuesday) or face fines of up to A$49.5 million ($33 million) under the new law, which drew criticism from major technology companies and free speech advocates, but was welcomed by parents and child advocates.

The ban, according to a Reuters report from Sydney yesterday, is being closely watched by other countries considering similar age-based measures amid growing concerns about the impact of social media on children’s health and safety.

In a video message that Sky News Australia said would be played in schools this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the ban aimed to support young Australians and ease the pressure that can come from endless feeds and algorithms.

“Make the most of the school holidays coming up. Rather than spending it scrolling on your phone, start a new sport, learn a new instrument, or read that book that has been sitting there for some time on your shelf,” he said, “And importantly, spend quality time with your friends and your family, face to face.”

The rollout ends a year of speculation about whether a country can block children from using technology embedded in modern life.

It also begins a live experiment that will be studied globally by lawmakers frustrated by what they say is a tech industry too slow to implement harm-reduction measures.

“While Australia is the first to adopt such restrictions, it is unlikely to be the last,” Tama Leaver, a professor of internet studies at Curtin University, said.

Governments from Denmark to Malaysia — and even some states in the US, where platforms are rolling back trust and safety features — say they plan similar steps, four years after a leak of internal Meta documents showed the company knew its products contributed to body image problems among teenagers.  Meta has said it has tools to protect children.

The ban initially covers 10 platforms, but the government said the list would change as new products emerge and young users switch to alternatives.

Of the initial 10, all but Elon Musk’s X have said they will comply using age inference — guessing a person’s age from their online activity — or age estimation, which is usually based on a selfie. They might also check with uploaded identification documents or linked bank account details.

Musk has said the ban “seems like a backdoor way to control access to the internet by all Australians” and most platforms have complained that it violates people’s right to free speech. An Australian High Court challenge overseen by a libertarian state lawmaker is pending.

(The image is representational and AI-generated)