Australia is about to become the first major democracy to impose a nationwide ban on social media access for under-16s. When the world-first measure comes into force on December 10, platforms including TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit and Twitch, will be required to remove existing under-16 accounts and block the ability to create new ones. The government says the legislation is necessary to curb rising online bullying, self-harm content and addictive design, which it says intentionally targets young users.