SOCIAL MEDIA – AUSTRALIA – REGULATION

We will stand firm against the tech giants

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Original article by Sarah Ison
The Australian – Page: 4 : 10-Dec-25

Communications Minister Anika Wells says the federal government is proud of its "world-leading" social media age restrictions, which come into effect today. She adds that the government is on the side of kids, parents and families with regard to online safety, rather than social media platforms. Wells has emphasised that Labor will defend its ban on under-16s’ use of social media platforms, amid several legal challenges and resistance to the policy amongst some technology companies. Meanwhile, Reddit has advised that it will comply with the ban, having previously flagged a legal challenge.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, REDDIT

Platforms must show how they enforce under-16 ban

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 3-Dec-25

Communications Minister Anika Wells says the federal government must be as "agile and dynamic" as technology companies in enforcing the looming social media age restrictions. Australians under the age of 16 will initially be banned from using 10 social media platforms, but Wells has warned that other platforms will lose their exemption if minors migrate to them and are subjected to the same online conduct that prompted the ban in the first place. Wells adds that social media platforms will be required to provide monthly updates on the number of under-age accounts they have closed, following an initial report one day after the ban takes effect next week.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS

It’s official: Social media is ubiquitous among 14-15 year old Australians

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 3-Dec-25

New data from Roy Morgan shows that 624,000 Australian children aged 14 and 15 use at least one social media platform in an average four weeks. The research shows exceptionally high reach across the major platforms, with YouTube (95%), Snapchat (87%), Facebook (81%) and Instagram (78%) the most widely used among the 14-15 age group. Significant proportions also use Reddit (70%), TikTok (59%) and X/Twitter (41%), while Twitch (12%) and Threads (9%) remain more niche platforms. The findings come at a pivotal moment, as legislation which comes into force on 10 December aims to ban or significantly restrict social media access for children under the age of 16. With almost all (99.96%) 14-15-year-olds using at least one platform, the potential impact on young Australians, parents, educators and digital providers will be substantial.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, SNAPCHAT INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM LLC, REDDIT, TIKTOK, X CORPORATION, TWITCH, THREADS

Surprise additions to list of banned tech platforms

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Original article by Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 5-Nov-25

The federal government’s final list of social media platforms that will be subject to age restrictions has been expanded to include Reddit and video livestreaming service Kick. It had previously announced that people under the age of 16 will be barred from using Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X and YouTube from 10 December. Communications Minister Anika Wells says the list is ‘dynamic’ and will be updated over time. The eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant has concluded that the "sole or significant purpose" of the eight platforms that will be subject to the ban is to enable online social interaction; platforms that are primarily used for messaging and online gaming will be excluded from the ban.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE ESAFETY COMMISSIONER, REDDIT INCORPORATED, KICK, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM LLC, SNAPCHAT INCORPORATED, TIKTOK, X CORPORATION, YOUTUBE INCORPORATED

YouTube blasts eSafety chief for ban on under 16s

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Original article by Sam Buckingham-Jones
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 25-Jun-25

The federal government’s proposal to exempt YouTube from its ban on allowing children under the age of 16 to access social media continues to attract scrutiny. YouTube contends that eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has provided "inconsistent and contradictory" advice to the government in her recommendation to scrap the exemption; YouTube executive Rachel Lord notes that Inman Grant had previously expressed concern that the ban may limit young Australians’ access to ‘critical support’. Lord also argues that YouTube is a video-streaming platform rather than a social media platform.

CORPORATES
YOUTUBE INCORPORATED, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE ESAFETY COMMISSIONER

D-day is on the horizon for Meta

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Original article by James Madden
The Australian – Page: 19 : 9-Dec-24

The federal government will shortly decide whether to ‘designate’ Facebook parent Meta under the news media bargaining code. This would force the digital giant to negotiate revenue-sharing deals with Australian news publishers, almost a year after it announced plans to terminate these arrangements. A spokesman for Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones has downplayed suggestions that a decision on designating Meta is imminent, although sources have indicated that the government will act before Christmas.

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META PLATFORMS INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

‘Punitive regime’: X tells Labor social media ban won’t work

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Original article by Tom McIlroy
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 26-Nov-24

The federal government and the Opposition are seeking to rush through legislation this week that will bar children aged under 16 from accessing social media, with a parliamentary inquiry given just three hours on Monday to examine the legislation. Elon Musk’s X has used a written submission to the inquiry to claim that the proposed ban will not work and is likely to be unlawful, while youth mental health charity Headspace told the inquiry that the ban would drive children into using unregulated sections of the internet such as encrypted apps. Meanwhile, Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind told the inquiry that she supports the essential intent of the legislation, but she has concerns about the privacy implications of making an age ban work in practice.

CORPORATES
X CORPORATION, HEADSPACE, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL PRIVACY COMMISSIONER

Seven Media boss warning on evil forces

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Original article by Sophie Elsworth
The Australian – Page: 3 : 30-Oct-24

Seven West Media’s director of news and current affairs, Anthony De Ceglie, says the federal government should "definitely" designate Meta under the news media bargaining code before the upcoming election. De Ceglie has also warned that social media platforms represent the biggest threat to traditional media outlets, and urged the government to "step up" to help the industry. He added that artificial intelligence platforms such as ChatGPT are also a major threat to news outlets.

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SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, META PLATFORMS INCORPORATED

Labor concerned Meta may sidestep obligations to pay for news as media bargaining code fight reignites

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Original article by Josh Butler, Amanda Meade
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 23-Oct-24

Seven West Media and Nine Entertainment have rejected a parliamentary committee’s recommendation to impose a ‘digital platform levy’ on big technology companies such as Google and Meta. The two media groups contend that rather than introducing a so-called ‘tech tax’, the federal government should use the existing provisions of the news media bargaining code to ‘designate’ such companies. Meta contends that the committee’s report ignores the realities of how its social media platforms work and the value they provide to news publishers.

CORPORATES
SEVEN WEST MEDIA LIMITED – ASX SWM, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, META PLATFORMS INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED

Social media laws could stymie valid debates on policy

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Original article by Ronald Mizen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 1-Oct-24

Nick Coatsworth has expressed concern regarding the definitions of "serious harm", "misinformation" and "disinformation" in the federal government’s proposed legislation aimed at clamping down on misinformation and disinformation being spread on social media. The former deputy chief medical officer contends that the laws could be used to stifle public health debate, with Coatsworth citing debate during the COVID-19 pandemic as an example. The Opposition supports a crackdown on misinformation and disinformation online, but shadow treasurer Angus Taylor claims that the government has the balance wrong. Communications Minister Michelle Rowlands says that doing nothing is not an option, while Treasurer Jim Chalmers has accused the Coalition of "running a protection racket" for big technology companies.

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY