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Social media companies will face $50m fines for breaching age verification laws
Social media companies will be threatened with up to $50 million fines for systematically breaching age verification laws, under an Albanese Government plan to ban under 16s from the platforms. Source: ABC News.
Catholic call to include Snapchat in social media ban for kids under 16
The head of the Queensland Catholic Secondary Principals Association says Snapchat, the popular digital platform mostly used by young Australians, must be one of the apps facing age restrictions. Source: News.com.au.
Social media giants face new regulations to protect mental health
Digital giants including Meta, Google and TikTok could soon be bound by a digital duty of care aimed at preventing the negative mental health impacts posed by social media. Source: News.com.au.
Albanese to ask states to back age limit of 16 on social media
Australia is poised to be the first country in the world to impose a minimum social media age of 16 as Labor backs the limit to protect children from online harms. Source: Daily Telegraph.
Age limit trial on social media delayed until next year
A technology trial to ensure social media companies can enforce an age limit is yet to begin more than six months after Labor announced funding for the critical step to protect children online. Source: Herald-Sun.
Human Rights Commissioner warns Labor not to rush social media laws
Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner has raised concerns about Labor’s crackdown on digital platforms, warning that rushed laws to impose minimum age limits on social media could cause more harm than intended. Source: Canberra Times.
No penalty for underage teens using social media after age ban
Underage users who defy the Albanese Government’s pending social media age restriction will not be penalised, while platforms that can prove they are at low risk of harming children may be exempted. Source: The Australian.
Parents support social media ban but divided on age limit
Parents “generally agree” the risk of online harm to children, such as bullying, exposure to pornography and predatory activity, needs to be reduced, but a national age-based ban has met with mixed responses. Source: The Catholic Weekly.
Tech companies undermine social media ban on teenagers
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s pre-election pledge to ban teenagers from social media is being undermined by tech companies refusing to enforce adequate verification barriers and delays in government trials to shield children from digital harms. Source: The Australian.