46 h. ago Australia’s social media youth ban draws US applause, UN warning, and global debate

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday took aim at young people parading themselves on social media a day after a world-first ban on under-16s went live, saying the rollout was always going to be bumpy but would ultimately save lives. A day after the law took effect with bipartisan support from the major political […]

Events

4 d. ago Australia tests bold approach to child safety with strict social media age rules

Australia is set to become the first country to implement a minimum age for social media use on Wednesday, with platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube forced to block more than a million accounts, marking the beginning of an expected global wave of regulation. From midnight (1300 GMT), 10 of the biggest platforms will be […]

Politics

8 d. ago Australia says the world will follow social media ban as Meta starts blocking teens

Australia’s internet regulator said a teen social media ban would be the first domino to fall in a global push to rein in Big Tech, as Meta’s Instagram, Facebook and Threads began locking out hundreds of thousands of accounts ahead of a deadline next week. eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said she had initially expressed […]

Politics

2 w. ago Australian teenagers ask High Court to block social media ban

A constitutional challenge against Australia’s social media ban on children younger than 16 has been filed in the nation’s highest court, two weeks before the world-first law is set to take effect. A campaign group called the Digital Freedom Project said on Wednesday it launched proceedings in the High Court of Australia in a bid […]

Events

3 w. ago New Zealand halts new puberty blockers for young transgender people

New Zealand said on Wednesday it was banning new prescriptions of puberty blocking drugs for young transgender people, in a move that critics warned could worsen the mental health of those affected. The step comes amid growing global debate about the number of adolescents seeking to change gender, dividing those concerned about hastiness in prescribing […]

Politics

3 w. ago Million teens brace for ‘delete day’ as Australia readies to ban kids from social media

Online platforms will ping Australian teenagers through over a million accounts in coming days offering a choice: download data, freeze profiles or lose the lot when a world-first ban on kids using social media starts on December 10. TikTok, Snapchat and Meta’s Facebook, Instagram and Threads are poised to deactivate accounts registered by users under […]

Sport