Australia’s decision to boot children under the age of 16 off social media has dominated international coverage.
Malaysia has flagged it intends to follow suit with a similar ban in 2026, as global attention is drawn to the landmark reform.
Media outlets including Focus Malaysia and the Malay Mail referenced their government’s next steps.
The ban was leading a popular CNN weekday afternoon program, while being extensively covered by news sites.
USA Today wrote: “Australia is first nation to ban social media for kids. Is the US next?”
The Washington Post and New York Times also ran several stories in the lead-up to its coverage of the age restrictions coming into effect.
The BBC had live blog posts of the ban, with affected Australian children sending in their experiences and thoughts about the new rules.
Stories about the ban were the most prominent articles on the public broadcaster’s website.
As debate rages in the UK about whether to implement a similar policy, Sky News ran segments exploring the “troubling lack of data behind Australia’s social media ban for children”.
Al Jazeera noted both parents and advocates were rejoicing over the ban, while pointing to the looming High Court challenge the government’s laws are facing.
In Europe, French outlets France 24 and The World covered the rules, while Germany’s Deutsche Welle also reacted.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has previously said she would be studying how Australia’s laws would play out.
Singaporean daily The Straits Times considered whether Australia might set the precedent for other nations.
AAP
