On December 14 2025, a terrorist attack occurred at Bondi Beach in Sydney Australia, leaving 15 civilians and one gunman dead. While Australia was still reeling in shock, social media saw the rapid spread of misinformation generated and powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI). For example, a manipulated video of New South Wales Premier Chris… Read more »
By age 12, your political operating system is encoded. Everything after is confirmation bias with better vocabulary. This is not cynicism. This is archaeology. Dig into any 50-year-old’s beliefs and you will find layers deposited at the kitchen table, in the schoolyard, at church or synagogue or mosque, in the neighborhood where they learned who… Read more »
After mass violence such as the Bondi beach terrorist attack on Sunday, distress does not stop with those directly affected. Fear, anger and uncertainty spread through media and social networks. This can intensify harm for survivors and targeted communities. People closest to an event are often supported by services and community. But the wider public… Read more »
Hours after the Bondi terrorist attack, while many Australians slept, a myth was generated and laundered through artificial intelligence. The sole bright spot from Sunday’s atrocity targeting Jewish Australians that left 15 dead and 29 injured was the heroics of bystander Ahmed al-Ahmed, who was filmed fearlessly tackling and disarming one of the alleged gunmen.… Read more »
Nearly three-quarters of Australians aged 18-14, and eight in every 10 adults have backed the federal government’s social media ban for children under 16. While support for the ban was lowest among young adults (72%), it rose to 80% for people aged 50-64 and 87% for over 65s, taking the national average to 79%. There… Read more »
The tech industry’s unofficial motto for two decades was “move fast and break things”. It was a philosophy that broke more than just taxi monopolies or hotel chains. It also constructed a digital world filled with risks for our most vulnerable. In the 2024–25 financial year alone, the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation received… Read more »
Warning: this article contains mention of suicide. Ten months after Australia’s teen social media ban passed parliament, Communications Minister Anika Wells brought together 20 of the country’s top mental health groups to talk about the law at a roundtable. “Today was a useful step for mental health organisations, peaks and government to get together and… Read more »
After months of anticipation and debate, Australia’s social media ban is now in force. Young Australians under 16 must now come to grips with the new reality of being unable to have an account on some social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. Only time will tell whether this bold, world-first experiment will succeed.… Read more »
Two teenagers are taking the federal government to the High Court. They argue the ban on social media accounts for under-16s is unconstitutional because it interferes with free political communication. The ban is due to take effect on December 10. Will the High Court challenge make any difference? What does the law do? Due to… Read more »
If you’re a young person in Australia, you probably know new social media rules are coming in December. If you and your friends are under 16, you might be locked out of the social media spaces you use every day. Some people call these rules a social media ban for under 16s. Others say it’s… Read more »
Meta has begun warning users it suspects are under 16 that their accounts will begin to be deactivated under the teen social media ban, as it investigates why Instagram already won’t let some users create accounts. On Thursday, Meta was the first tech company to announce its plans for complying with the government’s social media minimum age… Read more »
Google has strongly criticised Australia’s impending ban of under-16s holding social media accounts after its popular video streaming platform YouTube was added to the ban following a federal government backflip. YouTube was expected to be exempt from the nation’s social media age ban, set to begin on 10 December, after the legislation was first introduced by the… Read more »
The Australian government today released regulatory guidance on the social media minimum age law, which comes into effect on December 10. The law will restrict individuals under 16 from holding accounts on many social media platforms. Reasonable steps for tech companies This guidance follows a self-assessment guide for technology companies recently released by the eSafety… Read more »
The government’s trial has found age-assurance for its under-16 social media ban can be done effectively and protect privacy but there is not a one-size-fits-all model. The report, from an independent company and released in full, also warns continued vigilance is needed on privacy and other issues. It found some providers, in the absence of… Read more »
Elon Musk’s Twitter, now rebranded as X, has gone down for a second time in court trying to avoid a $610,500 penalty imposed by Australia’s eSafety Commission for failing to properly respond to requests for information on how it tackles child sexual abuse material on the social media site X Corp initially failed to report on how… Read more »
Daily startup news and insights, delivered to your inbox.
