Australia's centre-left government on Thursday introduced a bill in parliament that aims to ban social media for children under 16 and proposed fines of up to A$49.5 million ($32 million) for social media platforms for systemic breaches.
Australia's centre-left government on Thursday introduced a bill in parliament that aims to ban social media for children under 16 and proposed fines of up to A$49.5 million ($32 million) for social media platforms for systemic breaches.
Australia plans to trial an age-verification system that may include biometrics or government identification to enforce a social media age cut-off, some of the toughest controls imposed by any country to date.
The proposals are the highest age limit set by any country, and would have no exemption for parental consent and no exemption for pre-existing accounts.
"This is a landmark reform. We know some kids will find workarounds, but we're sending a message to social media companies to clean up their act," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement.
The opposition Liberal party plans to support the bill though independents and the Green party have demanded more details on the proposed law, which would impact Meta Platforms' Instagram and Facebook, Bytedance's TikTok and Elon Musk's X and Snapchat.
But Albanese said children will have access to messaging, online gaming, and health and education related services, such as youth mental health support platform Headspace, and Alphabet's Google Classroom and YouTube.
The Albanese-led Labor government has been arguing excessive use of social media poses risks to physical and mental health of children, in particular the risks to girls from harmful depictions of body image, and misogynist content aimed at boys.
A number of countries have already vowed to curb social media use by children through legislation, but Australia's policy is one of the most stringent.
France last year proposed a ban on social media for those under 15 but users were able to avoid the ban with parental consent. The United States has for decades required technology companies to seek parental consent to access the data of children under 13.
"For too many young Australians, social media can be harmful. Almost two-thirds of 14 to 17-year-old Australians have viewed extremely harmful content online, including drug abuse, suicide or self-harm," Communications Minister Michelle Rowland told parliament on Thursday.
The law would force social media platforms, and not parents or young people, to take reasonable steps to ensure the age-verification protections are in place.
The proposed law will contain robust privacy provisions, including requiring platforms to destroy any information collected to safeguard the personal data of users, Rowland said.
"Social media has a social responsibility ... that's why we are making big changes to hold platforms to account for user safety," Rowland said.
Australia has accused China of failing to provide sufficient notice ahead of a live-fire naval drill between Australia and New Zealand, forcing airlines to alter flight paths. Defence Minister Richard Marles described the lack of communication as “disconcerting” for commercial aviation.
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has cut its policy interest rate by 25 basis points to 4.1%, marking its first reduction since November 2020. The move follows a prolonged tightening cycle that saw rates rise from 0.1% to 4.35% between May 2020 and November 2023.
It is the "toughest laws Australians ever had," said Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke
A large fire has broken out at Cleanaway St Marys Liquid Waste Services in Western Sydney, fueled by exploding gas cylinders and sending thick black smoke into the air. Emergency services are battling the blaze.
Revellers ushered in the Lunar New Year in Sydney’s Chinatown on January 29 with a street festival, featuring traditional lion dances and family-friendly snake models. The Sydney Lunar New Year festival runs until February 16, offering night markets, performances, and dragon boat racing.
BERLIN, Feb 22 (Reuters) - NATO is planning to build a pipeline system from Germany to Poland and the Czech Republic to ensure a rapid supply of jet fuel for fighter aircraft in the event of a war with Russia, weekly German magazine Der Spiegel reported.
Menlo Park, CA, February 17, 2025 – Newly unsealed court documents from the case Kadrey v. Meta shed light on internal discussions among Meta employees about the use of copyrighted materials to train the company’s artificial intelligence models.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is asking Congress for nearly $40 billion in disaster funding to help Los Angeles recover and rebuild areas scorched by last month's devastating wildfires, the Washington Post reported on Friday citing a letter.
San Francisco, February 17, 2025 – OpenAI has terminated a group of Chinese ChatGPT accounts that were reportedly used to edit and debug code for an AI-powered social media surveillance tool.
‘We are already negotiating to work together in space, we can collaborate in this sphere also," Russian leader says
A tragic crowd crush at New Delhi Railway Station on Saturday night left 18 dead and 10 injured as thousands of people, many heading to the Kumbh Mela festival, attempted to board delayed trains. The incident highlights the ongoing risks of overcrowding at public transportation hubs in India.
A Delta Air Lines regional jet flipped upside down upon landing at Toronto Pearson Airport on Monday, injuring 18 people. Officials are investigating whether strong winds and snow played a role in the incident.
Berlin, February 21, 2025 – German citizens will head to the polls on Sunday, February 23, for a snap general election after the coalition government collapsed late last year.
BERLIN, Feb 22 (Reuters) - NATO is planning to build a pipeline system from Germany to Poland and the Czech Republic to ensure a rapid supply of jet fuel for fighter aircraft in the event of a war with Russia, weekly German magazine Der Spiegel reported.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is asking Congress for nearly $40 billion in disaster funding to help Los Angeles recover and rebuild areas scorched by last month's devastating wildfires, the Washington Post reported on Friday citing a letter.
A second meeting between representatives of Russia and the United States is planned for the next two weeks, the RIA state news agency reported on Saturday, citing Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
Washington, D.C., February 21, 2025 – U.S. negotiators have reportedly raised the possibility of cutting Ukraine’s access to SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service unless Kyiv reaches an agreement to grant the United States greater access to its critical minerals.
Hamas has begun releasing hostages from Gaza on Saturday in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, as Israel confirmed that a body handed over earlier was that of hostage Shiri Bibas.
BERLIN, Feb 22 (Reuters) - NATO is planning to build a pipeline system from Germany to Poland and the Czech Republic to ensure a rapid supply of jet fuel for fighter aircraft in the event of a war with Russia, weekly German magazine Der Spiegel reported.
Menlo Park, CA, February 17, 2025 – Newly unsealed court documents from the case Kadrey v. Meta shed light on internal discussions among Meta employees about the use of copyrighted materials to train the company’s artificial intelligence models.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is asking Congress for nearly $40 billion in disaster funding to help Los Angeles recover and rebuild areas scorched by last month's devastating wildfires, the Washington Post reported on Friday citing a letter.
San Francisco, February 17, 2025 – OpenAI has terminated a group of Chinese ChatGPT accounts that were reportedly used to edit and debug code for an AI-powered social media surveillance tool.
‘We are already negotiating to work together in space, we can collaborate in this sphere also," Russian leader says
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