Australian teenagers have taken to social media to farewell their followers and mourn the loss of the platforms that shaped much of their lives before a world-first ban took effect yesterday.
In the hours leading up to the ban’s midnight start, a flurry of goodbye messages came from teenagers as well as adults on platforms including TikTok, Instagram and Reddit.
“I’ll miss you guys,” posted 29-year-old Melbourne creator Josh Partington, who makes comedy sketches about Australian life for more than 75,000 TikTok followers.
Photo: AFP
Australia has ordered 10 major platforms, including TikTok, Alphabet’s YouTube, and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook, to block about 1 million users under the age of 16 or face massive fines.
About 200,000 accounts have already been deactivated on TikTok alone, with “hundreds of thousands” to be blocked in the coming days, the Australian government said.
Young Australians, who have grown up using social media, faced the prospect of losing access to their favorite apps with a mix of sadness, humor and disbelief.
“I’m going to miss you so much and especially the funny content,” one TikTok user wrote to their followers. “See you in a few years, but I don’t know if my account will still be standing.”
“Goodbye, see you on the other side,” another said.
There were edits posted of users’ favorite memes, while many urged their followers to join alternative platforms such as Yope, Lemon8 and Coverstar, which are not yet covered by the law.
On Reddit, users posted their goodbye notes to subreddits such as r/teenagers.
“As an autistic 13-year-old I am devastated,” one popular post said. “My playlist of 1,400+ songs on YouTube will be deleted and Reddit too, I have zero friends... I will be completely alone for the next three years until I am 16.”
Some stayed online until midnight on Tuesday, posting clips of clocks counting down set to Adele’s Skyfall and its lyrics, “this is the end.”
Others took their frustration out on Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
“Just wait until we’re able to vote,” one person wrote.
Not all teenagers were against the ban.
“Ngl, social media ban is probably for the best of us,” a TikTok user said, using an acronym meaning “not going to lie.”
“All we do is sit behind a screen for hours,” they said.
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