As it happened: Under-16 social media ban kicks in; eSafety boss says accounts won't 'magically disappear'; Questions over age verification; How the world is reacting

That's where we'll wrap up our live coverage today.

As the first day of Australia's under-16 social media ban draws to a close, it has been nothing short of eventful.

From the wiping of over 200,000 TikTok accounts to under-16s hopping into the prime minister's comment section to flaunt that they still had access to platforms, today will go down in Australian history as the nation led the charge on historic reform.

Anthony Albanese has already called the ban a success, while the eSafety Commissioner has revealed the next steps.

Click here to read more information on the ban and thanks for following along.

In a radio interview with Nova, the prime minister has already touted the social media ban as a success.

He also said that other nations are following suit.

"We should be really proud as Australians that this is Australia leading the world here and having the guts to take this on as a country," Albanese said.

"Success looks like us having this conversation, parents being able to talk to their children about this, which is what's going on today and in past weeks and months.

"Teachers will be talking about it at school today with their students. It's a success already. The fact that we're raising this awareness."

Only time will tell how well his early take will age.

One of the main reasons the ban came into effect was to protect the mental health of young Australians.

Experts believe that the growing harms of social media on the minds of teens have caused the government to step in and take action.

Dr Danielle Einstein is a clinical psychologist and adjunct fellow at the School of Psychological Sciences at Macquarie University and a researcher on social media use and anxiety.

"What was once dismissed as alarmism is now recognised as a global public health crisis, and governments everywhere are being pushed to act as a result of Australia's lead," Einstein said.

"It is time to wake up to the rising levels of aggression, anxiety and anger and the poisonous impact of social media on our society.

"We are no longer hanging onto the idea that unregulated social media use is a 'safe-haven' for mental health. This is a win for children in Australia and youth around the world."

As social media platforms continue to wipe out under-16 accounts from their platforms, young Aussies have already begun plotting their next move.

Lemon8 is a platform exempt from the ban and could be the next platform under-16s migrate to.

The photo and video-sharing app is powered by ByteDance, the same Chinese tech company that owns TikTok, and has an interface that is similar to both Instagram and TikTok.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant described Lemon8 as an "Instagram clone" and has not ruled out the possibility of adding it to the ban list.

Teens are also expected to flock to platforms that are not included in the ban, including Discord, Messenger and WhatsApp.

The mass exodus of Instagram accounts has already been felt across the platform.

Cenchfooty, an AFL fan account boasting over 265,000 followers, has posted that it has already lost over 1460 followers overnight.

As a few extra under-16 accounts continue to linger on the platform, that number could definitely increase.

Commenters on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's TikTok are joking that the ban hasn't worked, commenting on his video about it today.

"I'm still standing lol," one wrote.

"Hey mate still here," said another.

It's tough to verify the actual ages of TikTok users who don't post their age, but some of the slang sure looked like it belongs to the youth.

Lifeline has recommended resources for people struggling to adjust to the social media ban.

• Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 – info for parents

• Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 – support for teens

• ReachOut online – tools for young people

"If you're unsure what this means or how to support young people through the change, you're not alone," Lifeline's post on Instagram said.

People can also contact Lifeline itself 24/7 on 13 11 14 or text on 0477 13 11.

Parents have been warned the sudden removal of social media accounts could result in strong emotional responses in adolescents.

South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas was the person who presented a proposed then-state law to raise the social media age limit, drafted by former High Court Chief Justice Robert French, to the national cabinet.

That was the catalyst for the federal legislation now in force.

Now, Malinauskas has revealed its real origin.

His wife, Annabel West, was reading a book called The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, which theorised that smartphones and social media were rewiring people's brains.

"She was summarising the book to me as we went to bed every night. I will never forget one night, she finished the book, she turned to me and she said, 'You better bloody do something about this'," he said.

"I've been married long enough to know the instructions I've got to abide by, and this was certainly one of them."

Anti-sexual extortion and anti-suicide advocate Wayne Holdsworth, a former Australian of the Year nominee, has spoken emotionally on behalf of the Let Them Be Kids campaign.

"Our kids that we've lost haven't died in vain. Because today they'll be looking down very proud of the work that we've all done," he said.

Wayne's son Mac took his own life when he was harassed online.Wayne said today was "the start".

"Education from here on, from those, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15-year-olds, will be the silver bullet, when they're available to access social media at 16, they'll be fully equipped," he said.

"They will know about the algorithms, they will know about the sexual predators and terrorists out there, the same that terrorised my boy."

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has backed social media to meet their obligations under the band.

"We have been crystal clear with the social media companies about their responsibilities," she said.

"I have every confidence the most powerful and innovative industry of all time has the technical capability to meet these obligations with precision, and with continuous improvement."

She also revealed the very next steps.

"Tomorrow, I will issue information notices to 10 major platforms and we will provide information to the public before Christmas on how these age restrictions are being implemented," she said.

"And whether, preliminarily, we see them working. It will form the baseline against which we'll measure compliance."She reiterated the message that they were not expecting immediate perfection.