Name: Australias PM stands by social media ban as teens flaunt access
Uploaded: 2025-12-11T18:14:49.003Z
Duration: 2 min 20 s
Description: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took aim at young people parading themselves on social media a day after a world-first ban on under-16s went live, saying the rollout was always going to be bumpy but would ultimately save lives.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took aim at young people parading themselves on social media a day after a world-first ban on under-16s went live, saying the rollout was always going to be bumpy but would ultimately save lives.

Canberra

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited a Canberra school following the implementation of a new law banning social media use for those under 16. While some students expressed support for the measure, reports quickly emerged of teenagers circumventing the ban, with social media feeds still showing posts from underage users.

The law, which threatens platforms with fines up to $33 million, has sparked global debate and led to a surge in VPN usage in Australia. Critics, including Meta and UNICEF, warn the ban may push teens to less regulated online spaces, while some youth-focused media outlets report minimal impact from the new restrictions.

Australia's PM stands by social media ban as teens flaunt access

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited a Canberra school on Thursday to speak with students, a day after the country's world first social media ban on under-16s went live. And here's what some of the young people had Snapchat's been cancelled, but I never really used it anyway and I was honestly planning to get rid of it, so it probably helped me to make the decision quicker. I personally think it'll bring closer friends together easier, because rather than talking about things that are happening online, things that are actually happening in their lives. Despite the optimism, cracks in the rollout showed quickly. Just a day after the ban began, social media feeds were flooded with posts from accounts claiming to belong to under-16s. One comment on the Prime Minister's own TikTok account read, quote, I'm still here. Wait until I can vote. Albanese has hit back at those bragging about evading the ban, warning that such posts only help companies identify and remove them. Effective Wednesday, the landmark law forces platforms including TikTok, Instagram, YouTube to ban under-16s or risk fines of up to $33 million. The move sparked strong reactions around the world. U.S. Republican Senator Josh Hawley praised it, while countries like France, Denmark and Malaysia have signaled they may follow suit. But criticism was swift too. Meta and UNICEF cautioned over the ban, warning the law could push teens to less regulated parts of the Internet. There were also early signs of people finding workarounds, including so-called virtual private networks or VPNs, which can hide a user's location. Free VPN provider Windscribe reported a 400% surge in Australian installations in the 24 hours after the law took effect. Even some Australian media outlets aimed at younger audiences say they're barely feeling the impact. Teenager Leonardo Puglisi is the founder of Six News Australia. I know there's been some other accounts that I've seen that have reported that they had a sudden drop off of, you know, 1,000, 1,300, 1,500, whatever, overnight. But I think the fact that there isn't major drop offs elsewhere probably does reflect the fact that many young people who are supposedly going to be caught up in this ban are able to get around it, which has been one of the big problems with it.

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