Young Australians fear losing touch

Riley Allen, a 15-year-old schoolboy living on an Outback sheep ranch, doesn’t know how he'll keep in touch with his circle of far-flung friends once Australia’s world-first social media ban takes effect Wednesday.

- By ROD McGUIRK

Riley’s family lives three miles from Wudinna, a community of just over 1,000 in South Australia state. But some of his school friends live as far as 43 miles away.

“I don’t think the impact will be very positive for us. We do not have a lot out here to get in contact with each other,” Riley said.

“I am not sure how we're going to keep in touch over the holidays,” he said, referring to the Southern Hemisphere summer break that starts Thursday.

Riley and others younger than 16 will be banned by law from holding accounts with Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube and Twitch starting Wednesday. The platforms face fines of up to $32.9 million if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove the accounts.

Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads, was the first tech giant to react, beginning to exclude suspected young children last week.

Riley holds accounts with most of the age-restricted platforms and had been asked by some to verify that he is at least 16. But by Monday, he had not been ousted by any.

Mom won’t help son access social media

Riley's schoolteacher mother, Sonia Allen, said she wouldn't help her son get around the ban but suspects other parents will.

“I wouldn't. I do know there are other people that would. If the rule is there, the rule is there. But I know what kids are like, and I've been a kid before, and they're going to get around it if they can,” she said.