Sydney: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday defended the country’s new ban that blocks children under 16 from using major social media platforms, even as many teenagers continue to boast online that they have managed to stay active.

The law, which took effect on December 10, is the first of its kind in the world. It requires companies such as Meta, TikTok and YouTube to remove accounts belonging to users under 16 or face heavy fines. The government says the measure is needed to protect young people from online harms including bullying, addiction and exposure to harmful content.

Albanese said the rollout will take time but insisted the system is working as intended. He noted that teenagers who publicly claim they are still online are helping platforms identify and rem

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