Latest news with #Australia-style
The Advertiser
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Under-16 social media ban proposed in New Zealand
An Australia-style legislative ban on social media for under-16s is being proposed by New Zealand's governing National party.
Perth Now
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Under-16 social media ban proposed in New Zealand
An Australia-style legislative ban on social media for under-16s is being proposed by New Zealand's governing National party. Prime Minister Chris Luxon has announced his party will back a private member's bill which will require social media companies verify a user's age as above 16 before they can access certain platforms. The bill, to be introduced by backbench MP Catherine Wedd, does not list which platforms will be included, but includes maximum fines for non-compliance at $NZ2 million ($A1.8 million). Ms Wedd said the "bill closely mirrors the approach taken in Australia". "As a mother of four children I feel very strongly that families and parents should be better supported when it comes to overseeing their children's online exposure," the Hawke's Bay-based MP said. While Australia's world first law passed with bipartisan support from the major parties, it is unclear whether National has the support needed to pass a similar Kiwi law. Centre-left opposition Labour is warming to the idea but it's not over the line, with leader Chris Hipkins saying it is a "debate we need to have". National's coalition partner NZ First holds a similar view, while the third coalition partner ACT, a libertarian party, won't offer support. "Social media is doing enormous harm to young people (but) for every problem there is a solution that is simple, neat - and wrong," ACT leader David Seymour said. "ACT opposes National's bill banning under-16s from social media because it is not workable. "We would be better to learn from the Aussies' mistakes than make the same mistakes at the same time as them." Without support from Labour, National's bill would require either the support of the Greens, or both NZ First and the Maori Party to become law.
Daily Mirror
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Major plan to switch off kids' social media while they're at school being looked at
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle told The Mirror he is looking 'very carefully' at ways to stop children wasting hours scrolling on their phones after youngsters begged for help Children could have their access to social media switched off while they're at school under plans being considered by ministers. Technology Secretary Peter Kyle is looking for ways to help kids manage their online lives and stop young people wasting hours doom-scrolling on the internet. The Mirror understands these could include a social media curfew or limiting kids' access to the internet during school hours. Mr Kyle has said he will be examining the results of TikTok's recently announced 10pm curfew for under 16s. 'I'm looking at all the measures that would positively contribute towards a positive, enthusiastic, supportive environment online,' Mr Kyle told the Mirror. After years of bureaucratic consultations, media regulator Ofcom published its Children's Codes under the Online Safety Act (OSA), which sets out rules tech firms must follow by July. Under the codes, online sites must introduce robust age verification tools to make sure underage kids aren't accessing things they shouldn't. They have also been ordered to tame toxic algorithms and take faster action on removing harmful content. Mr Kyle celebrated the 'first step' in the journey to improving kids' safety online but admitted the OSA is 'lopsided' and more action is needed. He said he was taking a step back to think about how the addictive nature of phones and social media is also 'disrupting the childhood experience', as well as online harms. 'Sometimes it's interfering with young people's sleep or ability to concentrate when they're doing school work, sometimes out of hours, as well as focusing on the school day itself, even though 97% of schools do exclude smartphones from school itself,' he said. Mr Kyle has confirmed he would not support an Australia-style blanket ban on under-16s using social media and the Government has also ruled out a statutory ban on phones in school, arguing that the majority already enforce one. But he said he was 'looking very carefully at what comes next' to help the kids who beg him for solutions after suffering from 'resentment' after accidentally wasting hours scrolling on their phone. Elsewhere Mr Kyle insisted he is confident tech billionaires X/ Twitter owner Elon Musk and Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg will follow Ofcom's new rules despite the pair having recently rolled back content moderation on their platforms. The Cabinet minister said anyone who breaks the codes will 'face the full consequences of the British law' - which can include fines of up to 10% of global turnover from Ofcom or, in extreme cases, their platforms being switched off in the UK. He also said Britain's online safety laws were not up for negotiation amid fears the Donald Trump administration is pushing for them to be eased in UK-US trade deal talks. Concerns have been raised about the leeway social media giants will have to work around Ofcom's codes. For instance, the media regulator is only telling tech firms they have the 'option of excluding' content showing dangerous online challenges, material that incites hatred or misogynistic content. In an interview with the Mirror, Ofcom's child protection policy lead Almudena Lara said tech companies will be able to choose whether to exclude such content from being pushed to kids through their algorithms to give them the freedom to show different content to older teens and younger children. 'The ball is in their courts to understand their user base and to understand the content that they have and how best to serve their users,' she said. Ian Russell, the dad of Molly Russell, who took her own life at 14 after being bombarded with harmful material online, said he was 'dismayed' by Ofcom's codes and that he has lost trust in Mr Kyle. "I am dismayed by the lack of ambition in today's codes. Instead of moving fast to fix things, the painful reality is that Ofcom's measures will fail to prevent more young deaths like my daughter Molly's,' he said. 'Ofcom's risk adverse approach is a bitter pill for bereaved parents to swallow. Their overly cautious codes put the bottom line of reckless tech companies ahead of tackling preventable harm.'
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Government would not support social media ban for under-16s, minister says
The UK Government would not support an Australia-style blanket ban on under-16s using social media, the Technology Secretary has said. Peter Kyle said he believes decisions about when children should access social media should be left to parents. Last year, he had suggested such a ban in the UK could be 'on the table' if companies did not take action to protect children, but has since softened his stance on the issue, suggesting in January he had 'no plans' for such a ban. Australia introduced the world's highest age restriction on social media use last year, barring children under 16 from creating accounts. But Mr Kyle has said the UK should not follow suit. Speaking to Nicky Campbell on BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: 'Parents need to have the flexibility to parent in a way that's suitable for their children and circumstances. 'I'm trying to get the balance right between giving parents the freedom to be parents but also having absolute backstops. 'Porn going into young children's hands – that's a backstop. Violent misogynistic content – that's a backstop. 'If government can get the fundamentals right, that can give parents the freedom to introduce children to social media and some of the developmental potential. 'Most platforms are available from 13 plus – parents should decide if it's 13, 14, even up to 18.' In November, Mr Kyle told the Telegraph newspaper that the UK could move to to 'another level of regulation' if tech companies do not get together to enforce the Online Safety Act. At the time, he said he did not want to pursue further law changes until he sees how the Online Safety Act works. But he signalled he had been speaking to politicians from Australia where social media restrictions for under-16s have been approved by its parliament. Asked if the UK could push its age limits up to 16, Mr Kyle told the Telegraph: 'When it comes to keeping young people safe, everything is on the table.' Mr Kyle's latest comments came on the day Ofcom published its final codes of practice, under the Online Safety Act, laying out how tech firms must protect children from harmful content. It includes requiring firms to make their algorithms safe for children by not recommending them harmful material, and pushing firms to implement age verification tools – such as ID or credit card checks – to ensure children do not access inappropriate or harmful content.
The Independent
24-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Government would not support social media ban for under-16s, minister says
The UK Government would not support an Australia-style blanket ban on under-16s using social media, the Technology Secretary has said. Peter Kyle said he believes decisions about when children should access social media should be left to parents. Last year, he had suggested such a ban in the UK could be 'on the table' if companies did not take action to protect children, but has since softened his stance on the issue, suggesting in January he had 'no plans' for such a ban. Australia introduced the world's highest age restriction on social media use last year, barring children under 16 from creating accounts. But Mr Kyle has said the UK should not follow suit. Speaking to Nicky Campbell on BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: 'Parents need to have the flexibility to parent in a way that's suitable for their children and circumstances. 'I'm trying to get the balance right between giving parents the freedom to be parents but also having absolute backstops. ' Porn going into young children's hands – that's a backstop. Violent misogynistic content – that's a backstop. 'If government can get the fundamentals right, that can give parents the freedom to introduce children to social media and some of the developmental potential. 'Most platforms are available from 13 plus – parents should decide if it's 13, 14, even up to 18.' In November, Mr Kyle told the Telegraph newspaper that the UK could move to to 'another level of regulation' if tech companies do not get together to enforce the Online Safety Act. At the time, he said he did not want to pursue further law changes until he sees how the Online Safety Act works. But he signalled he had been speaking to politicians from Australia where social media restrictions for under-16s have been approved by its parliament. Asked if the UK could push its age limits up to 16, Mr Kyle told the Telegraph: 'When it comes to keeping young people safe, everything is on the table.' Mr Kyle's latest comments came on the day Ofcom published its final codes of practice, under the Online Safety Act, laying out how tech firms must protect children from harmful content. It includes requiring firms to make their algorithms safe for children by not recommending them harmful material, and pushing firms to implement age verification tools – such as ID or credit card checks – to ensure children do not access inappropriate or harmful content.
