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The world’s first-ever ban of its kind went into effect on December 10, marking a significant global precedent.
“We are pioneering this initiative,” Wells stated during an interview with Today.
“Many doubted it could be achieved,” he continued.
In a remarkable development, data reveals that within just the first week of the ban, 4.7 million accounts on age-restricted platforms were deactivated.
“This is a remarkable achievement for Australia, demonstrating to the world the possibilities of restoring childhood innocence,” Wells remarked enthusiastically.
Age-restricted social media platforms are expected to continue to remove accounts belonging to under-16s as they’re found or created.
The eSafety commissioner will also monitor any new platforms that emerge.
Despite wiping more than half a million accounts, Meta has made clear its concerns with the ban.
“The premise of the law, which prevents under-16-year-olds from holding a social media account so they aren’t exposed to an ‘algorithmic experience,’ is false,” Meta senior account executive Kathleen Walsh said.
“Platforms that allow teens to still use them in a logged-out state still use algorithms to determine content the user may be interested in – albeit in a less personalised way that can be appropriately tailored to a person’s age.”
She said the ban may also isolate teens from supportive online communities.
“There’s a lot of loopholes,” Alicia Liu, 13, said on the day the ban came into effect.
At the time she’d only been barred from one platform, Snapchat, and had already found a workaround.
Four of her friends, all aged 14, had not had any of their social media accounts removed.
”Right now I think a lot of teens, the way they help or keep their mental health stable is on social media, talking to their friends or watching creators that help,” Rose Pickles, 14, said at the time.
“The social media ban feels like a punishment for something we didn’t create.”