SYDNEY – Tech giant Meta said Wednesday Australia’s ban on social media for under-16s is sending youngsters to less regulated platforms, making them less safe.

“We’ve consistently raised concerns that this poorly developed law could push teens to less regulated platforms or apps. We’re now seeing those concerns become reality,” the US company said in a statement.

Lesser known chat and image sharing apps Lemon8 and yope, which are not currently listed in the social media ban, have shot up the download charts in Australia.

Meta said many alternative apps did not offer the same safety features, such as specialised teen accounts, that it had developed.

“While we’ll meet our legal obligations, we remain concerned this law will make teens less safe.” (AFP)