Dec 13, Kathmandu - Many people in Australia support the federal government's ban on social media for children under 16.

A poll of 1,598 people by Roy Morgan Research on behalf of Monash University found that 79 percent supported the ban. The ban came into effect on Wednesday.

Support varied by age group. Support was at 72 percent among 18-24 year-olds, 80 percent among those aged 50-64, and 87 percent among those aged 65 and over.

According to Professor Mark Andreevick of Monash University, “This ban is mainly aimed at some powerful foreign platforms that track young users and profit through advertising.” According to him, these apps are accused of exploiting young users through random advertising, misinformation and psychologically influencing algorithms.