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The Latest Breaking News from the eSafety Commission

Early wins for the social media ban, new survey claims. But the full picture is far more complicated

Australia’s world-first national legislation to restrict access to social media accounts for children under 16 years old has been in force for about three months. New data from a survey of 1,070 Australian adults provides tantalising evidence of some positive effects.

The Conversation

Reddit says it’s not a social media platform. Australia’s High Court is unlikely to agree

Reddit says it’s not a social media platform. Australia’s High Court is unlikely to agree

Reddit is asking Australia’s High Court to rule that it’s not a social media platform and therefore should not have to comply with the under-16s social media account ban.

The Conversation

Social media age ban expanded to include more sites

Social media age ban expanded to include more sites

The eSafety commissioner has increased the number of platforms where under-16s will be prohibited from accessing in a world-first ban.

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World's Strictest Social Media Law: 9 Platforms Must Block Everyone Under 16 or Pay $33M

Australia expanded its world-first under-16 social media ban to include Reddit and Kick, effective December 10. Nine platforms—Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, Snapchat, Threads, Reddit, and Kick—face AU$49.5M fines for non-compliance. WhatsApp and gaming platforms are exempt.

International Business Times

Kids still able to use search platforms without logins

Search engines like Google and Microsoft will have to ensure kids aren't exposed to harmful content like porn and violence but enforcement concerns remain.

Australia Says Social Media Ban Will Not Age Test All Users

Australia will not require social media giants to verify the ages of all users under its ban on under-16s using the platforms, Canberra said Tuesday.

International Business Times

Australia’s eSafety watchdog tells social media giants to shield kids from gruesome Kirk shooting footage

Commission asked platforms to apply content warnings to protect children or others who do not want to see US shooting

The Guardian - AU

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Cyber watchdog puts 'nudifying' websites on notice

Cyber watchdog puts 'nudifying' websites on notice

The eSafety Commissioner is taking enforcement action against an overseas company accused of helping to make sexual images of Australian children.

Do big tech companies have a ‘duty of care’ for users? A new report says they do – but leaves out key details

Do big tech companies have a ‘duty of care’ for users? A new report says they do – but leaves out key details

Large social media companies should have to proactively remove harmful content from their platforms, undergo regular “risk assessments” and face hefty fines if they don’t comply, according to an independent review of online safety laws in Australia.

The Conversation

Tasmanians rally round JackJumpers after online abuse

Tasmanians rally round JackJumpers after online abuse

Tasmania JackJumpers coach Scott Roth has been flooded with messages of support after speaking out about abuse directed at his players and their families.

X doesn't mark the spot when it comes to Twitter fine

X Corp should not be responsible for fines issued to Twitter by the Australian eSafety Commissioner, its lawyers argued, as they are different companies.

Elon Musk’s battle over the Sydney church stabbing video is not about freedom of speech. It’s to titillate his followers

Elon Musk’s battle over the Sydney church stabbing video is not about freedom of speech. It’s to titillate his followers

The X owner was always going to turn the video removal request into a glib culture war fought with 4chan-style memes and late-night missives

The Guardian - AU

Search engine rules to ban AI-generated abuse images

Search engine rules to ban AI-generated abuse images

New rules for search engines will ban child abuse and terrorist content in Australia but will also seek to prevent abuse images being created by AI tools.

Elon Musk's X Tells Watchdog It Has Shed 1,000 'Safety' Staff

Elon Musk's X Tells Watchdog It Has Shed 1,000 'Safety' Staff

Elon Musk's X has shed more than 1,000 staff globally from teams responsible for stopping abusive content online, according to new figures released Thursday by Australia's online watchdog.

International Business Times

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eSafety Commission launches legal action against X

The eSafety Commission has filed legal action against the parent company of social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Opposition backs age verification for pornography

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has backed calls to implement age verification for viewing pornographic material online.

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