📵🇦🇺 Australia Just Kicked Kids Off Social Media! Will It Make Them Hang Out IRL Again? 👀👫✨

(Anucha Tiemsom // Shutterstock/Anucha Tiemsom // Shutterstock)

If you’ve got ‘90s nostalgia, Australia is officially living it. 🌏✨ Kids Down Under just woke up to a world where NO ONE under 16 can use social media — at all. 📵😳

A brand-new law took effect today banning social accounts for anyone 15 or younger. That means:

❌ TikTok❌ Instagram❌ Snapchat❌ Facebook❌ YouTube Yes… even YouTube. 🤯

Over a million accounts disappeared overnight as the platforms wiped them out to comply.

And if companies don’t follow the rules? MASSIVE fines. 💸⚠️ They’re also required to take “reasonable steps” to keep kids from making new accounts — which should be interesting because, uh, kids on the internet are basically little CIA agents. 😅🕵️‍♂️

Supporters of the law (and 77% of Australians are on board!) say this might finally get kids off their phones and hanging out in person again. 🙌👟🌳

But critics say banning social media could do the opposite — leaving teens less informed, less connected, and way more likely to find sneaky loopholes.

And they already are. A reporter found a Reddit thread where kids were joking about buying hyper-realistic masks on Temu to trick facial-verification systems. FULL “Mission: Impossible” mode. 🎭😆

Whether it works or not, it’s a MASSIVE cultural shift. Today’s 14-year-olds have literally never lived in a world without social media. 🌐🍼

Australia’s Prime Minister even called this “one of the biggest social and cultural changes” the country has ever seen. And other countries are watching closely… 👀🌍

So will this lead to kids rediscovering bike rides, malls, and talking to humans? Or will it just unlock a new era of teenage genius-level hacking? 😬💻

Time will tell — but your teen’s reaction today is probably: “Why not ban WATER AND AIR while you’re at it?!” 😭🤣

Dex & Barbie T

Dex & Barbie T

Dex & Barbie T get you started every weekday morning with lots of energy and laughs. As two vastly different personalities, Dex & Barbie T bring a fresh perspective to discussions on relationships, work, family, and trending topics with a focus on issues that matter to the Jacksonville community. Wake up, listen, and enjoy every weekday morning!

On Air95.1 WAPE - Jacksonville's #1 Hit Music Station Logo

mobile apps

Everything you love about wape.com and more! Tap on any of the buttons below to download our app.

amazon alexa

Enable our Skill today to listen live at home on your Alexa Devices!