Social Media

The platforms are upset. The ban impacts a large chunk of their user base, and young people are among the most engaged users

Debate over the internet use for children grows as Australia bans social media for teenagers under 16, sensing its negative impact. Here's how it is affecting them

Govt had warned Big Tech of its plans, and first announced the ban after parliamentary inquiry earlier this year that heard testimony from parents of children who had self-harmed after cyber bullying

A number of other nations and US states have attempted to curb children's access to social media, with limited success

A social media ban for children under 16 passed the Australian Parliament on Friday in a world-first law. The law will make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts. The Senate passed the bill on Thursday 34 votes to 19. The House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved the legislation by 102 votes to 13. The House on Friday endorsed opposition amendments made in the Senate, making the bill law. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the law supported parents concerned by online harms to their children. Platforms now have a social responsibility to ensure the safety of our kids is a priority for them, Albanese told reporters. The platforms have one year to work out how they could implement the ban before penalties are enforced. Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said the

The law forces tech giants from Instagram and Facebook owner Meta to TikTok to stop minors logging in or face fines of up to A$49.5 million ($32 million)

The Australian Senate was debating a ban on children younger than 16 years old from social media Thursday after the House of Representatives overwhelmingly supported the age restriction. The bill that would make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to A$ 50 million (USD 33 million) for systemic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts. It is likely to be passed by the Senate on Thursday, the Parliament's final session for the year and potentially the last before elections, which are due within months. The major parties' support for the ban all but guarantees the legislation will become law. But many child welfare and mental health advocates are concerned about unintended consequences. Unaligned Sen Jacqui Lambie complained about the limited amount of time the government gave the Senate to debate the age restriction, which she described as undercooked. I thought this was a good idea. A lot of people out there

Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said there is a need to make existing laws more stringent to curb vulgar content on social media platforms. Speaking in Lok Sabha, the Information and Broadcasting Minister said the Parliamentary Standing Committee should take up the issue and also called for a consensus to frame more strict laws in this regard. Earlier, there were editorial checks and it was decided whether something was right or wrong, but those checks have ended. Today, social media is a platform for the freedom of press but it is uncontrolled and there is vulgar content, the minister said during the Question Hour. There is a need to make existing laws more stringent to curb vulgar content on social media platforms, Vaishnaw said amid din in the House. He was responding to questions by BJP member Arun Govil about existing mechanisms to check the illegal telecast of vulgar and sex-related content through social media platforms and whether the government proposes to mak

Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said there is a need to make existing laws more stringent to curb vulgar content on social media platforms. In the Lok Sabha, the Information and Broadcasting Minister said the Parliamentary Standing Committee should take up the issue and also called for a consensus to frame more strict laws in this regard. Earlier, there were editorial checks and it was decided whether something was right or wrong but those checks have ended. Today, social media is a platform for freedom of press but it is uncontrolled and there is vulgar content, the minister said during the Question Hour. There is a need to make existing laws more stringent laws to curb vulgar content on social media platforms, Vaishnaw said amid din in the House. He was responding to questions by BJP member Arun Govil about existing mechanisms to check telecast of vulgar and sex-related content through social media platforms illegally and whether the government proposes to make the .

Homegrown social media company ShareChat on Tuesday said its adjusted EBITDA losses fell by 67 per cent year-on-year to Rs 793 crore in FY24, amid 33 per cent growth in revenue. The company further said it is on track for a cash breakeven by March 2025. With improved financial metrics, the company expects to start investing back into growth and is on "actively" lookout for inorganic opportunities through acquisitions. Organic growth will happen through the expansion of the user base and increasing revenue per user. ShareChat has social media brands such as ShareChat app and Moj under its portfolio. While the company is sufficiently capitalised for now, it is looking at "adding more people to cap table ahead of preparations for IPO journey". It is eyeing timelines of 18-24 months for a possible IPO, depending on market conditions. "We will try and do one more funding round before we do IPO...possibly next year... but we don't need capital so we will time it based on interest in the

TikTok's viral phrase 'so demure, so mindful' earns 'demure' the title of Dictionary.com's 2024 Word of the Year, following a 1,200% surge in digital mentions

President-elect Donald Trump has said he will not allow TikTok, which is used by 170 million Americans, to be banned

Once backed by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, Bluesky has overtaken Threads in daily active users. Meta's decision to de-emphasise political content has alienated users seeking political discussions

An advocate for major social media platforms told an Australian Senate committee Monday that laws to ban children younger than 16 from the sites should be delayed until next year at least instead of being rushed through the Parliament this week. Sunita Bose, managing director of Digital Industry Group Inc., an advocate for the digital industry in Australia including X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, was answering questions at a single-day Senate committee hearing into world-first legislation that was introduced into the Parliament last week. Bose said the Parliament should wait until the government-commissioned evaluation of age assurance technologies is completed in June. Parliament is asked to pass a bill this week without knowing how it will work, Bose said. The legislation would impose fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) on platforms for systemic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts. It seems likely to be passed by Parliament by Thur

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Former Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud on Sunday said social media is being used by special interest groups to influence outcome of cases and judges need to be wary of them. He also noted that people nowadays want to form an opinion on the basis of 20 seconds they see on YouTube or any other social media platform, saying it poses a great danger. "Today there are special interest groups, pressure groups who are trying to use social media to affect the minds of the courts and the outcomes of cases. Every citizen is entitled to understand what is the basis of a decision and to express their opinions on the decisions of the court. But when this goes beyond the decisions of the court and targets individual judges, then it sort of raises fundamental questions about - Is this truly freedom of speech and expression?" he said. "Everybody, therefore wants to form an opinion in 20 seconds of what they see on YouTube or any social media platform. This poses a grave danger because the process of

The world has become a touchscreen phenomenon and youngsters these days are fuelled by instant fame and money, but such a desire is not sustainable, philanthropist and author Sudha Murty said on Saturday. Addressing an event at a private university here, Murty urged the graduates not to chase instant fame but instead develop a mind of curiosity and learn from mistakes while trying new things ethically and legally. The whole world, for that matter, has become a touch screen phenomenon or syndrome. You touch the screen, you get something, you play or you read touch the screen, you get the reply. All of you think life is a touch screen. "No, it is not true. Youngsters like you are always fuelled by instant fame and instant money. That is not sustainable. Instant fame, nobody gets, the Rajya Sabha MP said. She advised the student to remember that life does not run on Facebook likes and dislikes, or followers or influencers. You have to make your mind healthy along with your body, she

Australia plans to try an age-verification system to enforce a social media age cut-off, some of the toughest controls imposed by any country to date

Australia's policy sets the highest age restriction on social media globally, surpassing France's recent ban on under-15s, which allowed exceptions with parental consent

Australia is following a number of other countries that have attempted to restrict access to social media for children, with mixed success