The new bill puts the onus on tech platforms to protect Australians from harmful content and design features.
- Professor of Information Sciences & Director, Social Change Enabling Impact Platform, RMIT University
The Roblox saga is a reminder that parents can’t leave children’s online safety to platforms.
The report provides more evidence Australia’s world-leading social media ban isn’t going to plan.
The Victorian government says the new laws are ‘nation leading’. But there are several points of concern to address.
While the government strengthens its social media ban, a broader, more robust piece of legislation is waiting in the wings.
Since its launch on 10 December 2025, Australian media has been filled with stories of children remaining on social media platforms.
Success will rely significantly on parents’ abilities – and children’s willingness – to engage with these new tools.
The new safety features could help reduce online harm – but they ask a lot of parents.
eSafety is investigating Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube for “potential non-compliance”. But several questions about the ban remain unanswered.
The new year will bring new controls over what you see online – such as blurring pornographic or violent search results if you’re not logged in.
Seul le temps dira si cette expérience audacieuse et inédite menée par l’Australie sera couronnée de succès. Elle a néanmoins déjà suscité des réactions partout dans le monde.
Only time will tell whether Australia’s bold, world-first experiment will succeed. Despite this, it has set off a global reaction.
It comes at a time when the online gaming giant faces several lawsuits and growing calls to be included in Australia’s social media ban.
Roblox, Whatsapp and many other tech platforms will need to ‘self-assess’ and ask to be excused from Australia’s looming social media restrictions for under-16s.
New guidance for tech companies outlines how the government expects them to keep young people off their services.
A new report on age assurance technology leaves key questions about Australia’s looming youth social media ban unanswered
Before December search engines such as Google will need to implement several other measures aimed at protecting children online.
The trial’s preliminary findings are hard to square with other evidence.
The rollout will leave parents playing a game of whack-a-mole with new technologies as they try to keep their children safe.
From corflutes and how-to-vote cards to 250,000 pencils, 240,000 volunteer vests and 80,000 ballot boxes, here’s what happens to election materials after polling day.
Strategies to combat misinformation often focus on written materials and fact-checking. Identifying deepfakes requires different skills.
The report contains 67 recommendations – none of which address misinformation and disinformation.
En Australie, les réseaux sociaux ont un an pour s’assurer que les adolescents de moins de 16 ans n’aient plus la possibilité d’ouvrir de compte. Quels moyens techniques seront utilisés ?
La nueva ley no entra en efecto hasta dentro de 12 meses. Algunos detalles importantes no quedan claros, incluyendo cómo las tecnológicas verificarán la edad de sus usuarios.
The ban won’t take effect for at least 12 months. But key details about it are still missing – including how social media platforms will actually verify users’ age.
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