Australia’s ban on social media for users under the age of 16 has gone into effect, causing millions of children and teenagers to lose access to their accounts. Several teenagers were said to be ‘distressed’ and also claimed it was an ‘even worse idea’ as they adjusted to a life without social media, including Snapchat, X and Instagram, among 10 other platforms. Social media platforms that fail to comply risk fines of up to $33 million, according to a report by Reuters. Which apps are covered by the ‘under-16 social media ban’? As of midnight Tuesday, December 10 (1300 GMT), 10 of the biggest platforms have been ordered to block children or face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars ($33 million):1. TikTok 2. Facebook 3. Instagram 4. Threads 5. X (formerly Twitter) 6. YouTube 7. Snapchat 8. Reddit 9. Kick 10. Twitch Parents of children affected by Australia’s new under-16 ban on social media have expressed mixed reactions, with some welcoming the move and others warning they are pushing teens against risks. Many of the estimated one million children affected by the legislation also posted goodbye messages on social media. ‘Distress’, ‘how VPNs work’ – ban draws mixed reactions One parent told the Guardian their 15-year-old daughter was “very distressed” because “all her 14- to 15-year-old friends were verified as 18 by Snapchat”. Since she was identified as under 16, they feared that “her friends will continue to use Snapchat to talk and organize social events and she will be left out.” One teenager affected by the ban told Sky News that “it was a pretty bad idea,” while another said his friends “found ways around the restriction.” Another parent reportedly said the restrictions forced him to teach his child how to break the law. “I showed her how VPNs work and other methods to bypass age restrictions,” he said. He said he had to set up an adult YouTube account for her daughter and helped her bypass TikTok’s age rating, Guardian’s report said. Which platforms are not banned? The following platforms are excluded from the banned list: Roblox Pinterest YouTube Kids Discord WhatsApp Lemon8 GitHub LEGO Play Steam and Steam Chat Google Classroom Messenger LinkedIn How is age verification done? In the weeks leading up to the implementation of the ban, teenagers reportedly scrambled to prepare – completing age insurance, exchanging phone numbers and bracing themselves for the deactivation of their social media accounts. Kieran Donovan, Australian CEO and co-founder of age assurance service k-ID, said his platform had performed hundreds of thousands of age checks in recent weeks. Earlier in a statement, TikTok said it would take a “multi-layered approach” that “combines technology and human moderation” to track down and remove the accounts of teenagers who gave an incorrect date of birth when they originally signed up to the app. Snapchat said it will use account behavioral signals and the list of dates of birth on the account to determine who is under 16.