Australians, as a nation, are nothing if not well meaning. The country has a well-earned reputation for humane but impractical policies. The Australian government's latest legislative flourish – a ban on people younger than 16 using social media platforms – is a classic example of this woolly-headed utopianism.

The law is long on good intentions – protecting vulnerable children from bullying, mental health issues, hateful content and more – but short on practical details. The owners of the platforms will need to take "reasonable steps" to ensure that children younger than 16 can't create or operate accounts. No grey area there at all.