Australia became the first country on Wednesday to implement a world-first ban on social media for children under 16. Photo: AA

The ban came into effect at midnight (1300GMT on Tuesday), with authorities ordering social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat to block children or face fines of up to A$49.5 million ($33 million).

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said this was a proud moment, declaring in a statement that “my pride to be prime minister of Australia has never been greater. This is Australia showing enough is enough.”

"This will make an enormous difference. It is one of the biggest social and cultural changes that our nation has faced. It's a profound reform, which will continue to reverberate around the world in coming months," he added.

Hundreds of thousands of Australian teens are already active on social media, with reportedly about 440,000 aged 13-15 on Snapchat, roughly 350,000 on Instagram, 325,000 on YouTube and more than 200,000 on TikTok.

The country’s eSafety commissioner lists Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X and YouTube as restricted platforms.

Messaging services such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are not covered by the ban. Other platforms and tools, including Discord, GitHub, Google Classroom, LEGO Play, Pinterest, Steam, Steam Chat and YouTube Kids are also excluded.

Under the new law, penalties target platforms rather than children or their parents.

The country’s eSafety commissioner says it “will monitor compliance and enforce the law” using its regulatory powers under the Online Safety Act.