Australia begins enforcing social media age ban as global debate grows

Sydney: Australia has begun enforcing a new rule that bans people under the age of 16 from using major social media platforms. The law, which took effect just after midnight, is the first of its kind in the world and has already sparked international debate and reactions from technology companies, parents and policy makers. Under the new rule, companies like Meta, TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat must verify the age of users and block accounts belonging to children aged 15 and younger. Platforms that fail to comply could face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars. The government says the ban is meant to protect children from online harm, bullying and excessive screen time.

In the days leading up to the change, several platforms began removing accounts belonging to users believed