Australia’s controversial new law barring under-16s from social media is one of the toughest crackdowns yet on platforms including Facebook and TikTok as governments worldwide grasp for ways to protect children from harmful content.

The new law will deliver a message to tech companies to "clean up their act," the country's prime minister has said.

Australia has enacted a law banning social media for under-16s, with strict penalties for platforms like Meta, TikTok, and Snapchat, sparking debate over youth mental health versus privacy and access rights,