News: 0178113199

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Social Media Ban Moves Closer in Australia After Tech Trial (bloomberg.com)

(Friday June 20, 2025 @03:00AM (msmash) from the how-about-that dept.)


Australia's world-first social media ban for under-16s moved [1]closer to implementation after a key trial found that checking a user's age is technologically possible and can be integrated into existing services. From a report:

> The conclusions are a blow to Facebook-owner Meta Platforms, TikTok and Snap, which opposed the controversial legislation. Some platform operators had questioned whether a user's age could be reliably established using current technology.

>

> The results of the government-backed trial clear the way for the law to come into force by the end of the year. The findings also potentially allow other jurisdictions to follow Australia's lead as countries around the world grapple with ways to protect children from harmful content online. "Age assurance can be done in Australia and can be private, robust and effective," the government-commissioned Age Assurance Technology Trial said in a statement Friday announcing its preliminary findings.



[1] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-19/teen-social-media-ban-moves-closer-in-australia-after-tech-trial



Ban for under 25 (Score:1)

by registrations_suck ( 1075251 )

Why not make the ban for everyone under 25 years old?

Re:Ban for under 25 (Score:4, Insightful)

by Moryath ( 553296 )

Just ban Meta from the internet. Problem solved. Zuckerberg is a hitler-dicksucking Nazi anyways.

Re: (Score:1)

by Mr. Dollar Ton ( 5495648 )

Why? It is the old farts that use the "soshul networks" without a drop of critical thinking reading and spreading bullshit AND can vote the bullshit into governments that are the real problem.

Facebook's first enshittification came when they got the 35-50 years old crowd in and the endless user-generated spam began, even before the large-scale introduction of the "make me mad as hell" algorithms.

Ban everyone above 35 from the soshul media instead.

Re: (Score:2)

by martin-boundary ( 547041 )

Why? The endless user-generated spam is only there to communicate with other live users of the platform. It's a self fulfilling shitshow. Ban everyone who is *not* an AI from the sochul mudia instead!

Re: (Score:2)

by Mr. Dollar Ton ( 5495648 )

That would also be an option, but since it will reduce the valuation of our great technology outfit and harm the congress-critter shareholders it isn't on the table. Sorry.

Re: (Score:2)

by sg_oneill ( 159032 )

The issue thats worrying legislators isn't so much the disinfo problem (although thats clearly a real problem), its the fact that the kids seem to be spiral eye glued to their little black dystopia phones 24/7 and its showing real psychological harms to socialization and mental health. God knows its been bad for me, and I at least managed to get my social skills in place well before the publically available internet came into being.

I do hope they keep some solid data on effects. If this doesn't work, then I

Social parasitizes the exploratory instinct (Score:2)

by Mirnotoriety ( 10462951 )

[1]Jordan Peteson 01:02:14 [youtube.com]: Well, you made an illusion when you were talking about what you regard as the unfortunate effect of X on Elon and maybe on other users. So, let's assume that that you were afraid that this the sort of things that you were seeing happening to others more than merely Elon, let's say, in your estimation, were also happening to you. And so what do you think in retrospect, what do you think it was doing to you?

You just talked about the effects on your family on vacations. I've experie

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUA2fUPQ9hY&t=3734

Re: (Score:2)

by quenda ( 644621 )

tl;dr;ai :

Sam Harris describes his cautious use of Twitter, averaging three tweets daily, treating posts like careful writing to avoid regret. Despite this, Twitter negatively impacted his life, acting as a "digital serpent" that fragmented his day with constant checking, even if only consuming content. This disrupted productive time and family interactions, with the platform's addictive nature providing dopamine hits from positive feedback. Even non-toxic engagement broke his focus, unlike the sustained at

Bovine shiat (Score:3)

by bleedingobvious ( 6265230 )

> can be private, robust and effective

Utter bullsh*t. This is about obliterating privacy and escalated monitoring. This "IT'S FOR THE KIDS" BS fools nobody.

This isn’t a conspiracy anymore. (Score:2)

by geekmux ( 1040042 )

>> can be private, robust and effective

> Utter bullsh*t. This is about obliterating privacy and escalated monitoring. This "IT'S FOR THE KIDS" BS fools nobody.

I wonder how you would feel after losing a child or other loved one to suicide. After finding out it was the insanity of social media pressure that drove an undeveloped mind to seek that out as the ultimate “answer”. With digital peer pressure.

No. I do not wish that upon my worst enemy. Nor have I had to endure that pain myself. I just wonder what it would take. For you to see the bigger picture. I’m all for fighting for privacy, but to dismiss this as nothing in relation to child ha

Re: (Score:2)

by bleedingobvious ( 6265230 )

> I wonder how you would feel after losing a child or other loved one to suicide.

It would suck - sure - but as an argument in favour of everyone surrendering their privacy "for the kids!" - It's just plain wrong.

People die. Every day. In a milliion different ways. That's life. It's not an argument in support of totalitarian abuse.

Shit excuses, are shit. (Score:2)

by geekmux ( 1040042 )

> Australia's world-first social media ban for under-16s moved closer to implementation after a key trial found that checking a user's age is technologically possible and can be integrated into existing services.

This reads as if Australia as a nation was too stupid to grasp the technology behind user authentication, and only finally started to understand that concept after a legal trial.

Really? You needed a trial to out the corrupt greed of the tech elite lying about protecting revenue streams? Give me a fucking break.

Re: (Score:2)

by sg_oneill ( 159032 )

The trial involved getting kids to take a photo and having an AI calculate their age. Needless to say, I'm skeptical

Uninforcable .... (Score:3)

by JasterBobaMereel ( 1102861 )

As always any government that thinks this is in any way enforceable is deluded ...and it will likely exclude people from social media

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