TRANSCRIPT
It was a bold move, and one that was heavily criticised by major tech companies: banning under 16s from having their own accounts.
But a month on, the risk seems to have paid off - at least, according to Communications Minister Anika Wells.
She says eliminating 4.7 million accounts online, has freed teenagers to discover who they are away from the screen.
"They can spend a summer making real world connections with each other, with their siblings, with their parents. Skateboarding, writing, reading, art, music. I don't care what it is - but it's off the screen. Discovering who they are and forging connections in the real world."
The ban applies to social media, video and gaming platforms including X, Tik Tok, Instagram and YouTube and has the potential to be expanded.
Across just Meta's suite of platforms; including Facebook and Instagram, 550,000 user profiles were deactivated or removed.
Doctor Jessamy Perriam is a digital sociologist and Associate Director at the Australian National University School of Cybernetics.
She believes it is too soon to make a call on the under 16 ban's success.
'It's impressive, but we just don't know in the longterm how it is going to pan out. And especially as we have young people returning to school at the end of this month or the beginning of next month. The truth of the success of this policy will really come out then I think."
E-Safety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, says her office estimated 84 percent of 8 to 12 year olds had accounts before the ban was introduced in December.
She says the figures suggest social media companies are making meaningful efforts to comply with the law.
"We said please focus on the deactivations first, but we expect continued improvement. We expect you to prevent recidivism, so the creation of additional accounts. There are a range of signals they can take to prevent that from happening."
Australia has become the world leader in what could be a global movement toward social media age restrictions, as nations including Malaysia and New Zealand - consider similar moves.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says parents have spoken to him about the positive impact on their children's lives.
"The fact that in spite of some skepticism out there, it is working and being replicated around the world is a source of Australian pride."
Other global restrictions are in the pipeline, too.
Globally, law enforcement agencies have long sounded the alarm about the potential - and reality - of sexual exploitation of people on social media, particularly children.
Overnight the Philippines became the third country to ban Grok, an artificial intelligence chat bot from Elon Musk's company, X,
Last week it was revealed to have been producing a flood of explicit images of women and children.
Malaysia has restricted the software, as has Indonesia.
Via a statement on X, the company said it had made changes, including geoblocking certain content.
"We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis, in areas in which this is illegal. This restriction applies to all users, including paid subscribers. Image creation and the ability to edit photos via X's Grok account is now only available to paid subscribers."]]
Britain and France are now applying pressure on the company, to make good on promised changes to stop the content.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told the British Parliament the company which owns the software, X, is on notice.
"We have made it clear that X has to act. But if not, Ofcom has our full backing and will introduce and are introducing legislation. Mr Speaker, to update the House I have been informed this morning that X is acting to ensure full compliance with UK law. If so, that is welcome, but we are not going to back down."
California's Attorney General is investigating the software and Prime Minister Albanese, confirmed Australia has its sights on the issue, too.
"The use of generative artificial intelligence to exploit or sexualise people without their consent is abhorrent. I know that the E-Safety Commissioner is looking at this. It is, once again, an example of social media not showing social responsibility. And Australians and indeed global citizens, deserve better."
Doctor Perriam says this is a moment that vindicates the under 16 ban in Australia - but hopes there will be some plasticity in the policy going forward.
“The way that this process has been set-up to be incredibly flexible, So you know the list of banned and unbanned platforms. It is not static, it can be shifted and changed over time and it encourages dialogue with the E-Safety Commissioner. But I do think more attention needs to be paid to the lived experiences of young people. And what they need at that stage of life. And to be able to be given the opportunity to grow and thrive and explore opportunities with or without tech in their lives."
