From Today, Australian Teens And Children Under 16 Can't Sign-up To...

TikTok, Kick and X are also among those banned, and the rest of the world is taking notice.

A new social media ban takes effect in Australia from today, preventing—or in theory, preventing—teenagers and children under 16 years of age from holding accounts on 10 popular platforms. These include Twitch and TikTok, who will now have to take "reasonable steps" to keep Australian under-16s off their platforms. If they don't, they could face fines of up to AU$49.5 million (around $33 million in the US).

The world-first ban includes 10 platforms, including the below:

According to Australia's eSafety Commissioner, the ban is designed to "protect young Australians from pressures and risks that users can be exposed to while logged in to social media accounts. These come from design features that encourage them to spend more time on screens, while also serving up content that can harm their health and wellbeing."

The legislation has been met with inevitable backlash and heated debate, though if polling conducted by The Guardian is any indication, the majority of Australians support it.

In a strongly-worded celebration of the ban, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese positioned Australia as a pioneer in a movement that will inevitably catch fire around the world. "This will be one of the ­biggest social and cultural changes our nation has faced," he wrote. "It is profound reform which will be a source of national pride in years to come."

The eSafety Commissioner has three criteria for age restriction bans, listed below:

While the banned platforms fit the eSafety Commissioner's three criteria for age restriction, there are some noticeable absences: Roblox, Discord and Steam have all come under fire for either hosting obscene or extremist material, or serving as environments for child exploitation.

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Despite those clear red flags, according to the eSafety Commissioner itself, "Online gaming and standalone messaging apps are among a number of types of services that have been excluded under the legislative rules."

Source: PC Gamer