New Delhi, Dec. 9 -- Australia, one of the first major democracies is set to impose a ban on social media access for those under the age of 16, leaving a 15-year-old schoolboy anxious about how he will keep in touch with his circle of faraway friends. The ban, which will take effect from tomorrow, will apply to platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit and Twitch.

Riley lives 5 kilometres (3 miles) from Wudinna - a community of just over 1,000 people in South Australia. However, some of his school friends live 70 kilometres away.

"I don't think the impact will be very positive for us. We don't have a lot out here to get in contact with each other," Riley told ABC News. "I'm not sure how we're going to keep in touch over the h...