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Meta, Tiktok and Google under investigation for allegedly disobeying Australia’s social media ban
Nearly 70% of under-16s with accounts on Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok had maintained access, survey finds The Australian government has accused big tech firms like Meta, TikTok and Google of disobeying the landmark ban on under-16s using social media, after the country’s online safety office warned many children had accounts. A survey of 900 Australian…
Keir Starmer says UK will ‘have to act’ to curb addictive features of social media
In his strongest intervention yet, PM says some features ‘shouldn’t be permitted’, while education secretary says things ‘are going to change’ Keir Starmer has backed banning addictive social media features in his strongest intervention yet on curbs that could be placed on tech companies, saying the features “shouldn’t be permitted”. The prime minister said the…
Hundreds of UK teenagers to trial six-week social media curbs for major study
Government’s pilot ban for under-16s accompanies consultation as peers vote on Australia-style restrictions Hundreds of UK teenagers will trial social media bans, digital curfews and time limits on apps under a government pilot, which will run alongside a consultation to decide whether the UK should ban access to social media for the under-16s. During the…
Pinterest CEO calls for ban on social media for youth under 16
Bill Ready pointed to Australia’s social media ban for under-16s as a model, though it does not apply to his company Pinterest’s CEO called on world leaders to ban social media for youth under 16 in a LinkedIn post on Friday. “We need a clear standard: no social media for teens under 16, backed by…
Hundreds of UK teenagers to pilot social media bans and restrictions
Trials to form part of three-month consultation on Keir Starmer’s plans to tackle negative effects of smartphone use Hundreds of teenagers will be enlisted to trial social media bans in the coming months with overnight digital curfews and daily screen time limits also tested as part of Keir Starmer’s plan to crack down on the…
Starmer vows to fast-track social media law but says under-16s ban not definite
Prime minister says action will be taken on young people’s social media access in ‘months, not years’ What social media restrictions has Keir Starmer announced? Keir Starmer has pledged action on young people’s access to social media in “months, not years”, while saying this did not necessarily mean a complete ban on access for under-16s.…
New rules on social media could target ‘doomscrolling’ and ban for under-16s, Starmer says – UK politics live
Prime minister says outcomes of consultation on social media ban should be implemented quickly as technology minister says Australia-style ban is not inevitable In his Q&A with journalists, Keir Starmer was also asked to respond to a report by the BBC’s James Landale saying he is looking at plans to raise defence spending to 3%…
Condemnation of Elon Musk’s AI chatbot reached ‘tipping point’ after French raid, Australia’s eSafety chief says
A number of countries including Australia are investigating X over Grok-produced sexualised deepfakes Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, says global regulatory focus on Elon Musk’s X has reached a “tipping point” after a raid…
Snapchat blocks more than 400,000 Australian accounts but warns of ‘significant gaps’ in under-16s social media ban
Social media platform says there are still ‘real technical limitations to accurate and dependable age verification’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The accounts of more than 415,000 users in Australia identified as being under 16 were locked or disabled by…
‘This can’t be left to individual families’: how social media ban could affect under-16s
Parents, teachers and young people share their views on whether social media restrictions would work in the UK Pressure is mounting on the UK government to introduce a ban on social media for under-16s, after a decisive vote in House of Lords in favour of Australian-style restrictions. Peers backed a Tory-led amendment to the children’s…