Australia leader defends social media ban as teens brag about staying online

By Byron Kaye SYDNEY, Dec 11 (Reuters) – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese acknowledged some young people were still 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. A day after the law took effect with bipartisan support from the major political parties and backing by some three-quarters of Australian parents, the country's social media feeds were flooded with comments from people claiming to be under 16, including one on the prime minister's TikTok account saying "I'm still here, wait until I can vote". Under the law, 10 of the biggest platforms including TikTok, Meta's Instagram and Alphabet's YouTube must bar underage users or face a fine of up to A$49.5 million ($33 million).