Facebook, Instagram and TikTok apps are seen on a smartphone in front of an Australian flag, in this illustration taken November 29, 2024. REUTERS/Edgar Su/Illustration Purchase Licensing Rights

“I feel like I still will use it, just secretly get in,” said 11-year-old Emma Wakefield.

Countries including France and some U.S. states have passed laws to restrict access for minors without a parent’s permission, but the Australian ban is absolute. A full under-14s ban in Florida is being challenged in court on free speech grounds.

Albanese’s Labor party won crucial support from the opposition conservatives for the bill that was fast-tracked through the country’s parliament as part of 31 bills pushed through in a chaotic final day of parliament for the year.

The government has said enough notice was given as it first flagged the ban after a parliamentary inquiry earlier this year that heard testimony from parents of children who had self-harmed due to cyber bullying.

But it was criticised by social media firms and some lawmakers who say the bill has lacked proper scrutiny.

A spokesperson for TikTok, which is hugely popular with teen users, said on Friday the process had been rushed and risked putting children into greater danger.

“We’re disappointed the Australian government has ignored the advice of the many mental health, online safety, and youth advocacy experts who have strongly opposed the ban,” the spokesperson said.

Albanese said on Friday passing the bill before the age verification trial has been completed was the correct approach.

“We’ve got your back is our message to Australian parents,” Albanese said.

“We don’t argue that its implementation will be perfect, just like the alcohol ban for under 18s doesn’t mean that someone under 18 never has access, but we know that it’s the right thing to do.”

The ban could strain Australia’s relationship with key ally the United States, where X owner Elon Musk, a central figure in the administration of president-elect Donald Trump, said in a post this month it seemed a “backdoor way to control access to the Internet by all Australians”.

It also builds on an existing mood of antagonism between Australia and mostly US-domiciled tech giants. Australia was the first country to make social media platforms pay media outlets royalties for sharing their content and now plans to threaten them with fines for failing to stamp out scams.