X complies with social media ban
Josh Taylor
The last hold-out, Elon Musk’s X platform, has said it is complying with Australia’s under-16s social media ban.
The company’s Australian regulations page updated overnight says users in Australia must be at least 16 years old to hold an account.
It’s not our choice – it’s what the Australian law requires.
X is taking a “multi-faceted approach” to age assurance, using signals to determine account age, such as self-attested age, ID verification, legacy verified users, if the account was created in 2014 or earlier, or those with grey or gold badged accounts.
Without those signals, X said it would use email addresses to estimate age or otherwise check government ID. The platform says after the ID checks, the data is destroyed within 31 days.
X’s compliance means all 10 platforms initially named in the ban – Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, X, Reddit, Twitch and Kick – are complying with the ban.
The X headquarters in San Francisco. Photograph: Anadolu/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 16.09 EST
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We would like to hear from you. How have you been affected by the social media ban? Have there been any issues with your child’s account deactivation, or has an account you have been mistakenly affected? Have there been any flow-on effects in using services linked to social media accounts?
Let us know your family’s experiences using the form below. We may publish your words, if you give us permission, or contact you to ask for further information.
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Updated at 18.22 EST
‘Obscene’ rates of Indigenous children still being removed from families, report finds
The child protection system needs to be turned upside down to “change the story” of Indigenous over-representation in out-of-home care, advocates say.
AAP reports the Family Matters report, released on Wednesday, found early intervention and community-led supports are chronically underfunded, with investment instead skewing towards crisis interventions such as removals. The report said:
Without action on the underlying causes of intervention, like poverty, housing insecurity, racism and exclusion from services, and improved supports for families experiencing crisis, little will change.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are 9.6 times more likely to be removed from their parents than non-Indigenous kids and make up 45% of those in out-of-home care, the report found.
Catherine Liddle, the chief executive of peak body for Indigenous children SNAICC, said the Family Matters report, now in its 10th year, came from a need to keep governments accountable on the number of children being removed from family.
“There were no eyes on this alarming figure,” she told AAP. “Today the number is still obscene.”
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Updated at 18.13 EST
Former Obama chief of staff says US should follow Australia’s lead on social media ban
Rahm Emanuel, a former mayor of Chicago and chief of staff to US president Barack Obama, is celebrating Australia’s social media ban.
He posted a video this morning calling on the US to follow Australia’s lead, adding:
I think it’s time for America to pick up its game, and do the same. I think we need to help parents. It’s too much for a parent to push against Facebook, Instagram, TikTok… Snapchat.
Our kids are way too vulnerable. It’s too additive, too alluring.
He compared the effort to banning cell phones from classrooms, writing that “we’ve proven that smart steps are effective. The time for debate and discussion is over”.
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YouTube still allows under-16s to create an account
Josh Taylor
As an experiment this morning, we attempted to register an account on YouTube putting in the date of birth at 11 January 2011, meaning the user would be currently 14.
The registration was successful, and the account is usable, despite YouTube stating it would comply with the ban and keep under-16s from holding accounts, or registering new ones.
YouTube has been approached for comment.
When a similar test was run on X this morning, it presented an error message when trying to register an account for a similar-aged user. It’s not clear if that is due to enforcing the ban, or unrelated site issues.
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Updated at 17.50 EST
Leave immediately warning for part of north east Tasmania
Tasmania Fire Service just issued a warning for residents of Stieglitz, near the town of St Helens, to leave immediately amid an encroaching bushfire.
An uncontrolled fire at the nearby Diana’s Basin is traveling towards the area, which is expected to put lives in danger and may destroy homes.
There is expected to be thick smoke, and showers of embers which may cause fires all around you. Spot fires may threaten your home before the main fire arrives.
Smoke and ash may make it difficult to see and breathe.
Tasmania Fire Service also said the area around Diana’s Basin and Flagstaff Hill is expected to be impacted by a bushfire, urging residents to monitor conditions and be prepared to leave if necessary under a watch and act alert. The fire is expected to be difficult to control today, and smoke and ash may make it difficult to see.
Pulse Tasmania reports two structures have been destroyed by flames in the area and about 50 people spent the night in evacuation centres.
You can stay up-to-date on alerts at TasAlert.
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GPs back social media ban for kids
Melissa Davey
The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) says it supports requiring social media platforms to prevent children under 16 from creating accounts from today.
While social media use in adolescence has been associated with positive engagement and peer support, the RACGP said in a statement that research has also linked social media use to negative mental health outcomes, sleep disruption, bullying and exposure to harmful content.
The 2021 HILDA survey estimated about 7% of adolescents aged 15-17 had a long-term mental health condition requiring treatment or a mental illness which requires help or supervision, while 19% of patients in this age group were diagnosed with depression, anxiety or another mental illness, three times the rate in 2009 (6%).
Meanwhile, recent University of Adelaide research of 14,000 South Australian children aged 11–14 found the share of daily social media users had tripled in the four years from 2019 to 2022, from 26% to 85%. The share of non-users in this age group fell from 31% to just 3% over the pandemic period.
“Adolescents are experiencing significantly higher rates of anxiety, alongside increased incidents of bullying,” Dr Michael Wright, president of the RACGP, said in a statement.
He went on:
Much of that happens on social media. We know that children and young people are spending extensive time on social media, and this is restricting their sleep and impacting their overall wellbeing.
While many parents are deeply concerned about the effects of social media, there is often reluctance among children themselves to reduce their usage. This highlights the challenge families face in managing online engagement.
We have spoken to the eSafety Commissioner to better understand these changes. There is growing recognition of the need to place controls on the type of information children are exposed to online.
The RACGP said the ban alone won’t be enough, and that parents, teachers, carers and peers should stay vigilant against risks of online harm.
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Updated at 17.22 EST
Adam Morton
Australia’s energy grid must triple capacity by 2050 with major increase to wind and solar, Aemo says
The capacity of Australia’s main electricity grid will need to triple by 2050 – including a fivefold expansion of large-scale wind, solar and storage – under the most likely development path, the national energy market operator says.
The estimate is included in the Australian Energy Market Operator (Aemo) draft “integrated system plan” for the national electricity market, the power grid that connects the five eastern states and the ACT.
Photograph: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images
Aemo found renewables would continue to replace coal as the grid’s “bulk generation”, and total electricity consumption would nearly double over the next 25 years as industry, homes and cars increasingly ran on electricity and the number of datacentres expanded.
It suggested the capital cost of the energy grid infrastructure under the optimal path would be $128bn in today’s dollars. It said the transition would be more expensive if it was delayed and the Albanese government’s 2030 renewable energy target – 82% of generation – was not met.
Read more here:
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Financial markets predict RBA rate hike by June
Patrick Commins
Financial markets are now betting the Reserve Bank will hike rates by the middle of next year, after the central bank board yesterday flagged it may have to act to subdue a rebound in inflation.
Traders are pricing in a nearly 30% chance a hike could come as early as the next RBA board meeting in February, and have almost completely factored in two hikes by the end of 2026.
Michele Bullock, the RBA governor, effectively ruled out further rate relief, saying “the question is, is it just an extended hold from here or is it possibility of a rate rise?”.
Not all economists are convinced the next move is up, however.
Westpac’s chief economist, Luci Ellis, is still predicting two rate cuts in the second half of next year.
A graph showing predictions for a series of rate hikes next yearShare
Updated at 16.46 EST
Albanese is stumping the social media ban, on social media
The prime minister posted a brief video announcing the ban to his social media accounts this morning, a slightly ironic moment as, from today, kids themselves won’t be able to see it.
He said:
Social media can be a bit overwhelming for all of us, but for our kids it can cause real harm.
It will mean more time for children to learn, grow and just be kids, without algorithms getting in the way.
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Albanese says his use of family travel allowance ‘in accordance with the rules’
Federal politicians are calling for public spending rules to be tightened as it is revealed Anthony Albanese also used the family reunion travel allowance after being invited to major sporting events around Australia.
The prime minister charged taxpayers about $2,800 for three instances of family travel costs on weekends when he also declared being given tickets to the AFL grand final, the rugby league State of Origin and the Australian Open tennis, Guardian Australia can reveal.
A government spokesperson said all of Albanese’s disclosures were “made appropriately and in accordance with the rules”.
Read more about his expenses here:
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X complies with social media ban
Josh Taylor
The last hold-out, Elon Musk’s X platform, has said it is complying with Australia’s under-16s social media ban.
The company’s Australian regulations page updated overnight says users in Australia must be at least 16 years old to hold an account.
It’s not our choice – it’s what the Australian law requires.
X is taking a “multi-faceted approach” to age assurance, using signals to determine account age, such as self-attested age, ID verification, legacy verified users, if the account was created in 2014 or earlier, or those with grey or gold badged accounts.
Without those signals, X said it would use email addresses to estimate age or otherwise check government ID. The platform says after the ID checks, the data is destroyed within 31 days.
X’s compliance means all 10 platforms initially named in the ban – Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, X, Reddit, Twitch and Kick – are complying with the ban.
The X headquarters in San Francisco. Photograph: Anadolu/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 16.09 EST
Albanese brushes off criticism of Anika Wells’ expenses
Albanese was just asked about the ongoing coverage of communication minister Anika Wells’ expenses. He said parliament is now more representative than it had been in the past, noting Wells had three young children, but would not say if the rules surrounding family travel expenses should be tightened.
He told ABC News:
It is a good thing that parliament is more representative than it used to be. People have a long time away from their families, from their children and from their partners.
The rules are in place, independently. I tell you what is not a good thing, is for politicians to rule and manage themselves. It’s important that there be arm’s length. That is what has been put in place.
The prime minister noted that all expenses are published publicly in “great detail”, which he described as “important for transparency”. He noted Wells had self-referred her expenses to an indepedent watchdog.
Communications minister Anika Wells. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/APShare
PM says social media ban is a ‘proud’ moment for Australia
Anthony Albanese said today will begin a difficult period of transition, but said it was a proud moment for the country.
The prime minister told ABC News:
This is the day when Australian families are taking back power from these big tech companies. They are asserting the right of kids to be kids and for parents to have greater peace of mind. This is a proud day.
We understand this is going to be difficult, but it is so important that young people are given the opportunity to actually grow as young humans and to differentiate as well between what is real in human interactions and what they can often be exposed to online.
Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Updated at 16.47 EST
