Australia teens turn to Lemon8 as under-16 social media ban kicks in

AUSTRALIA: Australia’s teens have turned to Lemon8 after the country’s social media ban for under-16s took effect on Wednesday.

Affected social media platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit and streaming platforms Kick and Twitch.

According to Bloomberg, when the social media ban kicked in, Lemon8 topped Apple’s most-downloaded free apps on its App Store, followed by private friends-only photo sharing app Yope and TikTok’s “safest alternative” for aged nine to 16, Coverstar.

The ban requires companies like ByteDance’s TikTok and Meta Platforms’ Instagram to block under-16s from having social media accounts, or risk fines of up to A$49.5 million (S$42.57 million).

Australia is the first democracy to introduce such a measure, aimed at addressing concerns over the potential harms of social media. /TISG

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