Social media Smooth start for Australian under-16 ban but real test is still to come

On the lawns of the prime minister's Kirribilli residence in Sydney, overlooking the harbour, Anthony Albanese said he had never been prouder.

- Josh Taylor Technology reporter

The ban is intended to keep children away from too much time online and harmful content

(RICK RYCROFT/AP)

"This is world-leading. This is Australia showing enough is enough," he said as the country's under-16s social media ban came into effect this week.Albanese pointed to gathered media including those from the BBC, CNN and from Japan. He said the world was watching.

The news has indeed turned heads globally. Some countries have already announced an intention to follow suit, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Denmark and Norway. Others have been watching with keen interest to answer the question, as Albanese put it: "If Australia can do it, why can't we?"

The policy to cut off the social media access of more than 2 million under-16s has remained popular with Australians in the 12 months since the legislation was passed, with almost two-thirds of voters in favour of the ban. It has also enjoyed support among the major political parties.

The momentum was maintained by a News Corp campaign titled Let Them Be Kids, which Albanese called "the most powerful use of print media I have seen for a very long period of time".