“My passion lies in safeguarding children on the internet,” stated Communications Minister Anika Wells emphatically.

As new regulations requiring social media users to be over the age of 16 come into effect, there are concerns that young users might find ways to circumvent these rules. However, the Labor government is putting technology companies on alert as the implementation deadline nears.

“We acknowledge that the rollout won’t be flawless from the start, but we remain committed to this cause and will not let tech platforms evade responsibility,” Wells assured.

During her address at the National Press Club, Minister Wells expressed her expectation that some children might attempt to bypass the age restrictions, but reiterated the government’s determination to uphold the new guidelines.

In a speech to the National Press Club, Communications Minister Anika Wells says she expects some children will get around the ban. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch

The communications minister will point to almost 86 per cent of Australian children between the ages of eight and 15 being on social media.

“We accept it will take time for the age assurance sieve to filter out the existing accounts and stop new accounts from being created,” she will say.

Meta to begin removing underage accounts

The day after the ban is implemented, the eSafety commissioner will send notices to the 10 platforms named in their “dynamic list”.