With Australia’s social media ban for under-16s taking effect today, platforms are bracing themselves for the forced closure of accounts belonging to underage Australian users.

Australian teenagers have taken to social media in the early hours of today to bid farewell to their their followers across all platforms on social media. They actively mourn the loss of the platforms that shaped much of their lives before a world-first ban took effect on Wednesday.

Some teenagers stayed online until midnight on Tuesday, posting clips of clocks counting down set to Adele’s “Skyfall” and its lyrics, “this is the end.”

Others took their frustration out on centre-left Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has lost 6,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram since Tuesday.

The new legislation is part of the government’s increasing scrutiny of the operations of tech companies within Australia, and the impact social media is having on the mental health of young Australians.

“For all our users aged 15 and under, we understand the importance of the treasured memories, connections, and content within your accounts,” says Meta regional policy director Mia Garlick.

Presently, Australia has ordered 10 major platforms including TikTok, Alphabet’s YouTube and Meta’s  Instagram and Facebook to block around one million users under the age of 16 or face massive fines.

It is also reported that over 200,000 accounts have already been deactivated on TikTok alone, the government said, with “hundreds of thousands” to be blocked in the coming days

Can children and teenagers be forced off social media en masse? Australia is about to find out.