Well done Australia

[Netcurtainnelly]

Australia are banding under 16s from social media.
Thankfully. Social media is a cesspit.

Teenagers have already got around it. Just like the age verification for adult sites here in the UK, it's so easy to get around.

I agree OP. I think it's great. I'm very interested to see how they get on with it.
As per PP, I've seen stories about kids getting round it, but it's a start isn't it. And it's better trying to do something, which can hopefully be improved upon and evolve over time, rather than saying "this is too hard" and not bothering at all.

Except it hasn’t worked has it? It’s all just talk - there isn’t a proper procedure looking for id verification or anything yet !

When they have a proper system that actually does stop the kids getting into it then it will be great

also be easy to just gets vpn and make your location in the uk or some other country to get around the age ban..

Some kids have got around it, and around the age verification/porn sites here, but it's still having an impact. I was reading that porn sites are reporting a small but significant drop in traffic.

And it's sending an important message. Young people still smoke cigarettes - it's taken decades for behaviour to change. Laws set the standards for what we consider appropriate as a society. And I'm with you on applauding the stand taken by Australia.

I think it's a good start.

Yes there will be ways around it - there will also be parents that allow their kids to break the new law...

But it's a start - it if stops the majority of young kids getting addicted too young it's got to be a good thing IMO.

The point isn't whether or not kids can get around it, laws like these are about nudging society towards making damaging things taboo.

It's the same with seatbelts, age of consent, drink driving, buying alcohol, cigarettes and so on. Very easy laws to break, but the laws create and embed a taboo that means we associate these activities with being bad for us.

And also it puts the onus on parents to enforce it at home, and helps educate people as to the harms of being too online.

Doesn’t apply to WhatsApp or online gaming apparently.

Agree with pp, its a start and hopefully uk will follow....actually can't wait!!!!

why do people blame social media for society ?

@ApriloNeil2026 lots of tic tok/fb reels/ and instagram posts are fake. Children are often unable to understand this. Sadly some sites are known to be coercive to the detriment of young minds; pro anorexia, self harm, and anxiety type sites that only reinforce negative thought processes.
Society is able to prevent these influences reaching young people and should.
Society as a whole is not encouraging of harmful actions.

Because social media is one expression of society. The clue is in the name "social".

the reaon i asked is society had all the various issues long before social media so its not like social media suddenly caused the downfall of society

thats understandable

Social media should be banned entirely. And possibly the internet in general. It has has a negative effect on society and the world. In fact computers in general should be banned.

@ApriloNeil2026 yes society has lots of issues but doom scrolling how to end your life is way more reinforcing than checking the library for the same info. 1/2 hour of online searching brings up 100 reels, links and graphics all while hearing how life is shit, nuclear war happening this week etc.
library you’d be lucky to find graphic or auditory detail at all.
Young people experiencing mental illness need genuine help not videos on how to disown family by some stranger who claims to be 16 asking for nudes.

I would make it a criminal offence to allow the use of, or the supply of, an under 16 with a smart phone. Under 16’s should be limited to dumb phones (ie brick phone).
This will help immensely.

there was a period in society where that happened , and society was still a mix they had groups and gangs like the mafia etc so even pre internet society was still a mix