88 m. ago ‘It’s AI blackface’: social media account hailed as the Aboriginal Steve Irwin is an AI character created in New Zealand

More than 180,000 people follow the Bush Legend’s accounts across Meta platforms, but its Aboriginal host is a work of digital fictionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWith a mop of dark curls and brown eyes, Jarren stands in the thick of the Australian outback, red dirt at his feet, a snake unfurling in front of him.In a series of online videos, the social media star, known online as the Bush Legend, walks through dense forests or drives along deserted roads on the hunt for wedge-tailed eagles. Many of the videos are set to pulsating percussion instruments and yidakis (didgeridoo). Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago More than 4.7m social media accounts blocked after Australia’s under

Accounts removed or restricted on Twitch, Kick, YouTube, Threads, Facebook, Instagram, Snap, X, TikTok and Reddit in world-leading banGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMore than 4.7m social media accounts held by Australians who platforms have judged to be under 16 years of age were deactivated, removed or restricted in the first days after the ban came into effect in December, the prime minister has said.After the social media ban came into effect on 10 December, the eSafety commissioner sent questions to each of the platforms covered by the ban asking how many accounts had been removed in order to comply with the law. Continue reading...

Politics

33 h. ago Ethan Browne's cause of death revealed two months after son of rock legend Jackson Browne passed at 52

His death was announced the day before this past Thanksgiving with a heartbroken statement posted to his 77-year-old father's social media accounts.

Events

3 d. ago Meta blocked nearly 550,000 accounts in first days of Australia’s under

Tech giant says ongoing compliance will be a ‘multi-layered process’ as UK Labour faces pressure to bring in similar ban for teenagersFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMeta has deactivated more than half a million accounts for teenagers across Facebook, Instagram and Threads as a result of Australia’s under-16s social media ban, the company has announced.Just over one month since the ban came into effect, Meta announced on Monday that between 4 December, when the company began deactivating accounts, and 11 December, 544,052 accounts Meta believed to be held by users under 16 were deactivated. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago NHS GP urges women to complete three health checks at start of each month

Dr Carys Sonnenberg, an NHS Women's Health GP, shared the recommendation on her popular social media account

Politics

7 d. ago Swiss ski bar owners ‘destroyed evidence as NYE fire raged’ killing 40 – ‘why were they thinking about this’?

THE couple who ran the Swiss resort bar where 40 people were killed have been accused of destroying evidence by blocking social media accounts in the aftermath of the devastating blaze. Jacques, 49, and Jessica Moretti, 40, are suspected of manslaughter by negligence after allegations of insufficient safety standards emerged following the fatal New Year's...

Events

9 d. ago Influencer at war with neighbours over her £30,000 garden Pilates studio says locals 'set up fake social media accounts to stalk her'

Megan Smith, 24, spent three years training in wellness centres in Dubai before selling everything she owned, including her car, to pay for Pilates machinery.

Economics

1 week ago 'London is not what it was': How social media accounts are changing the narrative of the capital

‘This isn’t about whether London is unsafe. It’s about how online narratives form, spread, and shape public perception’, says KCL expert Dr Mark J. Hill

Politics

1 week ago 'Be nice to Glasgow': 11 New Year's Resolutions for the City of Edinburgh

Stephen Jardine proposes Edinburgh should resolve to create a scaffolding museum, allow no more new restaurants and introduce a ban on anyone with a social media account using Circus Lane

Politics

1 week ago BBC tells new Traitors star to delete photos on Instagram of him doing NAKED HEADSTANDS

A Traitors star has a secret social media account featuring his own backside in an array of poses.

Culture

2 w. ago Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom reunite for family outing to Paddington: The Musical

Photos shared by the musical’s official social media accounts showed the singer and actor smiling alongside cast members on stage after taking in the show

Politics

2 w. ago JFK's granddaughter Tatiana Schlossberg dies of cancer aged just 35, six weeks after revealing her terminal illness

The Kennedy scion's death was announced on Tuesday via the social media accounts for the JFK Library Foundation on behalf of her heartbroken relatives.

Events

2 w. ago Facebook slow to act on posts celebrating Bondi beach massacre, anti

Exclusive: CST highlights volume of IS-supporting accounts and says social media firms ‘putting all of us in danger’Facebook hosted terrorist propaganda that celebrated the murder of Jews and praised Islamic State, a leading anti-hate group has alleged.The posts included celebrations of the Bondi beach massacre that the Community Security Trust says Facebook has been too slow to take down. The posts were still on Facebook on 16 December, two days after the attack, and received shares and likes. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Facebook slow to act on posts celebrating murder of Jews, anti

Exclusive: CST highlights volume of IS-supporting accounts and says social media firms ‘putting all of us in danger’Facebook hosted terrorist propaganda that celebrated the murder of Jews and praised Islamic State, a leading anti-hate group has alleged.The posts included celebrations of the Bondi beach massacre that the Community Security Trust says Facebook has been too slow to take down. The posts were still on Facebook on 16 December, two days after the attack, and received shares and likes. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Brigitte Bardot made haunting comment just weeks before her shock death aged 91

BRIGITTE Bardot made a chilling statement just weeks before her death at the age of 91. The iconic French actress had been angered by a death hoax in October after rumours circulated she had died. A quickly deleted post from a celebrity news social media account allegedly read: “An icon has passed away, leaving behind...

Events

3 w. ago Man hacked people online and then stole thousands from their relatives

Haroon Zaman hacked into victims' social media accounts and impersonated them to promote fraudulent cryptocurrency opportunities

Politics

4 w. ago Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy confirms X account IS his as he offers excuse for making bizarre post that stunned Hoops fans

CELTIC boss Wilfried Nancy has confirmed that a social media account under his name IS legitimately his. And he's also offered an explanation for a bizarre Monday night post that left Hoops fans bewildered. Nancy found himself under pressure after losing all of his first three games as Celtic manager. On Monday, he insisted he...

Economics

4 w. ago Elon Musk’s X wins appeal to lift block on Australians seeing Charlie Kirk shooting footage

In successful challenge, X argued the video wasn’t excessively offensive and was an objective record of a ‘public event of historical and political significance’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Australian classification review board has overturned a decision to block Australians seeing footage of the shooting of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk on social media after Elon Musk’s X appealed against the ruling sought by the eSafety commissioner.After Kirk’s death at Utah Valley University on 10 September, the eSafety commissioner applied to the board to have video of the shooting classified in Australia. The video was ruled to be “refused classification”, which allowed eSafety to serve notices on social media platforms ordering them to geo-block the posts from view for Australia-based users. Continue reading...

Events