Eddy Coulson, 12, usually spends two to three hours a day on social media, but on Wednesday that will drop to nothing as the world’s first under-16 social media ban kicks in.

“I feel like a lot of Australians will be a bit unhappy because they’ll lose a lot of communication with their friends,” he said.

“On the broader side, I feel like [the change will] give kids that opportunity to go outside and connect with their mates a bit more.”

From Wednesday, social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, X, Reddit, Kick, Threads and Twitch could face fines of up to $49.5 million if they fail to take “reasonable steps” to prevent under-16s from holding accounts.

Meta is deactivating accounts and platforms by using age verification through facial scans, ID checks and AI-powered behavioural analysis.

Eddy, who uses YouTube and a bit of Instagram, said he didn’t really mind that he was losing access, but he didn’t know whether it would be good for teens.

“To be honest, I feel like I’ll get it back when I’m 16. So for now, I’m not angry. I’m just a bit disappointed, really.”

He deleted Snapchat because he realised it wasn’t good for him. “At this age, our brain is still developing,” he said.

Patty De Benedetto, 13, said he spent time scrolling on YouTube and had a 180-day SnapChat streak but recently gave up on it: “Because of the ban, there’s no point”.

He thinks it will be harder to communicate with friends, “now we have to get everyone’s numbers”.

For 13-year-old Jordan Huang, the ban may mean he’ll go on more bike rides with friends and “just hang out more”.

Edith Cowan University senior lecturer and social media researcher Catherine Archer said the ban would more profoundly impact older teens.

“It’s coming up to school holidays, and it’s their lifeline. I would have used the phone, but for them, it’s the way they communicate,” Archer said.

She said the ban might isolate remote teens, and there were the concerns over whether age verification software would work.

“I know one parent has said that she’s allowed her daughter to continue to have Snapchat, put in a false age, and the photo software said that she was over 16,” she said.

Other teens could move to other platforms. Young people have already been talking about using Lemon8, Yope or Coverstar. It’s unclear whether those platforms will be included in the ban.

But Scarlet Lee, 20, youth governor for Youth Parliament, which gives young people a chance to debate and draft mock legislation in parliamentary chambers, said young people had been campaigning for similar legislation to ensure their safety online for years.

She said she understood the ban could isolate some young people who relied on social media for connection, but that young people had also become increasingly unsafe online.

Toby Stewart joined social media when he started secondary school and got his first phone. Now aged 14, Toby’s social media use has been limited to Snapchat and Instagram.

On Wednesday, he will be spending more time on WhatsApp and other messaging apps.

“But I feel like other people ... they might be a bit annoyed by [the ban],” the year 8 student said.

“There has been some discussion [at school], like, ‘How are we going to stay in contact?’ ”

Toby said the ban would lead to some teenagers spending less time on their phones, but other teens would switch to gaming or find a way to circumvent the restrictions.

Toby’s mother, Lexie Stewart, agreed teens would outsmart regulators and find a way back into their favourite social media. But she said many parents would welcome the ban, to help reduce addiction and distraction in their offspring.

“Just giving that reprieve, I think that’s a good thing,” she said. “From a parent’s perspective, even if it just brings up the conversation, that’s a good thing.”

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.