NIGERIA, Dec. 3 -- The messiness of Australia's social media ban for those under 16 as part of the Online Safety Act 2021 is becoming more apparent by the day. From December 10 this year, as announced by the commissar-minded eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, "age-restricted social media platforms will have to take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under the age of 16 from creating or keeping an account." This, she declares, is "not a ban" but "a delay to having accounts." Last month, the office formed the opinion "that Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, Twitch, X, YouTube, Kick and Reddit are age-restricted platforms."

Showing a willingness to adapt to, if not outflank the regulations with gusto, curious teenager...