But the whole reason for the age limit was to "protect the children". If they don't include roblox, the reason for all of this is bullshit, which it of course always was, but they could at least have pretended that it's legit.
But that doesn't really explain anything though. It's a messaging app and has replaced some forum usage (but as someone who used forums for a long time, nowhere near the same), but what's the actual issue with it?
It's a hub for predators, and used exactly like snapchat and other apps on the banned list are used. I am not saying I am for or against this law, but it just doesn't make sense, feel like some companies paid off the ban while others didn't or something
Because it has to be linked to a Facebook account, unless it's changed since I last used it? Also you can search for people you don't know, so it's handy for predators.
But I think the better solution would be to completely divide the platform into two entirely independent areas, and to access the one for under 16, you have to have your phone number and governmental id (whatever that is in AUS) registered as under 16, so you can't be on any of the other services. Like, no social media except Roblox.
And then make it illegal to register falsely as a child. You get caught with an under 16 account over the age of 18, you go to jail for X years.
It depends on exactly why they've decided to ban the others. The problems with discord and Roblox are different problems than the ones that twitter and Facebook have.
Personally I don't agree with this and I've always been of the opinion that stuff like this should be done by parents but there's a relatively clear divide between what's being banned and what isn't here.
I'm not saying it's not bad but do people really go for kids on discord? I'm guessing kids join a lot more public groups than me if that the case cause I thought most people used it for small community (sub 30 active chatters chat groups) and big community event watching but no one talks in the latter ones
why discord tho? discord was instrumental for us keeping our friend groups together while growing up.
like even at 27 i still have like 15-20 close friends (and like probaly 30-40 more friends) that i am able to talk to on a regular basis thanks to discord, despite most of us moving across the country for college and work. some of these people moved away at age 13 and we still keep in touch.
This reminds me of those dog "rescue" videos where it's very obvious the dogs were neglected horribly and then placed somewhere, so they could film the "rescue."
YouTube Kids was FAR more dangerous in my experience as a parent than people expect. My solution with YouTube and my kid when they were young was to do a very locked down set of specific subscriptions on MY account (so I could see anything that somehow got in), and third party YouTube clients that let me make sure only subscribed channels were being watched.
10 minutes on YouTube Kids made it super clear that it wasn't safe environment. (Roblox too for that matter)
Same as chat control to slowly push laws that remove agency from people and ways for people to freely communicate. It always starts as "defending the kids" just look at the UK as a prime example
It's not, but it's fairly easy to access if your country doesn't have ID verification. I'm from South Africa and here you only need to tick the "I'm 18 years or older" box to get access. A horny teen will easily lie about their age.
Roblox is literally the embodiment of everything wrong with kids being online but they don't hit that? Just goes to show how clueless these boomers in politics are, making rules that miss the mark entirely and screw over the rest of us.
I'm all for protecting kids but this just isn't going to work. The government can't control what people do inside of their own homes. The reason kids get exposed to so much shit online is because parents aren't involved enough in what their kids are doing online or in the presence of other kids. Too many parents either naively expect the best from the internet or they simply aren't parenting their kids and are expecting society to do it for them.
I think the whole 'ban kids u-16 from social media' is one of those things that sounds good in theory.
You know, you have this fantasy scenario where kids don't use social media and they are free from the anxiety, bullying and brain rot associated with it.
But the reality is kids will either find ways around it through VPNs or new social media clones will be built which will basically operate the same way.
There's nothing stopping Zuck etc. from creating a new social media site, which allows u-16s and the government are not quick enough to add it to a list. They'll be forever playing catchup.
I can see this policy being short lasting and unenforceable.
VPNs aren't used by most of the population. There is nothing that's on Netflix that people can't download for free if they are that way inclided. Some kids will undoubtedly skirt the laws using technology, but the vast majority will not. This law will certainly have an effect because humans don't like inconvenience.
Not only that but kid experts as well as a psychology experts have worried that bans such as this one could affect websites and resources that are meant to help kids. This has been going on in the US for example where such restrictions have actually blocked kids from accessing resources to help them get out of abusive situations, help them with their mental health, and things like that. Things like spaces such as in libraries that now reluctantly require children to have permission from their parents to access material including material relating to helping kids who are in abusive situations.
I would think device bans for kids would be significantly more effective. As long as internet access is acquired they can do all of these things. So the most effective way to prevent this would be for parents to not allow their kids to have devices.
No this law does not stop them from watching it it stops them from creating an account. There's nothing stopping them from watching any brain rot material on YouTube because you don't need an account to watch anything. It only stops them from participating such as uploading videos or commenting or liking.
That is all it does.
Also it would require people to upload their faces, their government ID, or anything if they are accused of being a person under the age of 16. So yeah, just give YouTube your government ID. Not like there hasn't been data breaches before.
Roblox has had a huge issue with predatory behavior.. Schlep on YouTube has been warning folks about it. Legal stuff happening.
Fr awhile back:
https://youtu.be/hMqAw_NjHK8?si=bmpyFlEJUIBAw8Rw
In terms of actually stopping children from accessing adult content and/or getting groomed, anything less than 99% perfect is going to be incredibly ineffective. Kids want to access social media and adult content, if there are holes in the system blocking these sites, they're going to look for and find those holes.
There are better methods of keeping kids safe online. You can teach online safety, and since the internet isn't the only place kids can be groomed, you need to be teaching them what grooming looks like (and giving them safe channels to report it) anyway.
These system can be harmful. Adults should be able to access these sites without giving out personal information, and this kind of system can be very easily adapted to prevent kids from accessing lgbt content, as an example. It's hard to articulate how the growth of this kind of policy is something that needs to be pushed back against.
Social media is an absolute cancer that has been thrust upon our children. How the fuck did we let Mark Zuckerberg infiltrate teen minds? Kids need to be interacting with each other IRL and I am for any legislation that moves us in that direction. This should be the very beginning of this fight
No, it's a way to create mass surveillance. It's going to require people to give their government ID for websites and websites have been known to have data breaches.
Not only that but what if a child is prevented from accessing resources or websites that could help them if they are in an abusive situation for example?
If the government wants to protect kids then they should be requiring that schools and classrooms teach internet literacy and safety as well as requiring that social media sites have more options to help protect children.
Not censoring and kicking them out of a platform that's not going to teach them proper Internet safety when they're older.
When Instagram was actively available to preteen girls on their phones (10 years ago or so), self harm rates DOUBLED seemingly overnight. Social anxiety rates have also skyrocketed. Don't even get me started on these short videos that none of these platforms allow you to deny. If you just started there and made them allow you the option to get rid of short videos. This would be a start
Age-verification and age-gating laws have repeatedly produced real-world harms. School and library filters required under laws like CIPA have blocked suicide-prevention pages, LGBTQ+ support sites, and domestic-violence hotlines, such as Rockwood School District’s filter that categorized Trevor Project resources as “sexual content.” After Mississippi’s age-verification law was upheld, Bluesky shut off access to the entire state rather than force ID checks, instantly cutting off teens from online communities. UK age-verification rollouts triggered an 1,800% spike in VPN downloads, exposing minors to data-harvesting VPNs and criminal “age-verification bypass” schemes. Foster youth without IDs—documented by groups like R Street and Building Changes—have been unable to verify age on platforms that require government ID uploads. Facebook’s real-name policy was weaponized to mass-report Indigenous users and domestic-violence survivors, forcing them to reveal identities or lose accounts. LGBTQ+ teens in states attempting KOSA-style enforcement have already reported losing access to gender-identity resources when platforms auto-blocked LGBTQ+ information for “safety.” Together, these documented incidents show that ID-based age controls consistently cut vulnerable youth off from critical support while pushing them toward riskier workarounds.
No it targets vulnerable communities and prevents them from accessing information that they need to stay safe.
These situations do not make children safer, they make it more dangerous. Not only that but it should be very obvious that these situations are not to protect children, it is a form of censorship to prevent children from accessing information that doesn't come from the mainstream media because they learn that while children are more exposed to random information they're also exposed to information that the mainstream media cannot filter out first such as situations of atrocities in other countries. When the youth are allowed to access information that the government can't filter out first then it means that children are able to form their own opinions at younger ages and that is something the government does not like.
I see no problem with GitHub. It's not even really social media it's just a code repository that happens to have accounts and the ability to post comments on repositories.
How will they validate people's ages? You have to submit an ID to access a site? Also how does YouTube track this? You can watch YouTube without an account login ?
I don't answer anything outside of my US area code unless I have the number saved, or I am expecting a specific call. If I am terribly curious, I will just text them and ask them what they want
Surprised Roblox was not affected with all that’s going on there.
Then again, technology often is overtaking government responses and law development.
Also it’s easy to write off video games because they’re “just games”. That allows the industry to do a lot of stuff they would be instantly condemned if done anywhere else.
You want to see what poor practices companies will do, see what the games industry is doing: they are the canaries of the coal mine.
This move is getting a lot of criticism, but the way modern social media platforms hijack your dopamine system to keep you on the app or keep you coming back, and the algorithms that push harmful content because that's what is most "engaging" for many, means that these platforms can be really harmful. I'm 33 and I can barely control my usage, particularly when I'm feeling low. I'm so glad this wasn't around when I was a kid.
And for those who are saying blocking YouTube means they are missing out on good/educational content, then the solution is simple. Those videos can be found on another platform, like YouTube, but without the short form content or algorithms designed to keep you hooked. If this doesn't exist yet, then Australia has a big market gap and I'm sure someone will fill it in soon.
Has anyone used pinterest other than by accident this decade? Weird to see it mentioned, but bluesky isn't even on the list. Maybe i just hear more about it in my online bubble.
Roblox is about to get extra pervy
Roblox is already the defacto hunting ground for pedos. Idk how it could get worse
Yes, this. Going through an ordeal now with my family and a person we know who was arrested for pedophile shit.
Roblox, Minecraft, Pinterest, Discord, Instagram, Snapchat, Telegram...
All pedophile arenas to engage with minors.
Did you know Pinterest has messaging? It does. An innocuous un-assuming location that predators can use to chat with kids.
Fucking sick shit.
Seems insane to me Roblox wasnt one of the main targets of this.
Why would it be? It’s a kid platform. They should just ban all of the users?
But the whole reason for the age limit was to "protect the children". If they don't include roblox, the reason for all of this is bullshit, which it of course always was, but they could at least have pretended that it's legit.
16 year olds going after younger kids…
Nope, Chomos
Haha damn. That's dark.
The CEO wants to incorporate prediction markets for kids and is trying to find a “legal” way to do it
Roblox now has the chat ban as well
My very first thought was "omg please also ban roblox"
Crikey, it's about to get extra pervy, mate!
Twitch getting banned while Roblox and Discord are not affected?
Guessing that Roblox paid the bribes.. I mean lobbied.. to be excluded.
I feel like discord makes sense given that it's primarily a messaging app--what's the issue with it?
Roblox, however, is way more surprising to me.
Discord is the replacement of forums.
But that doesn't really explain anything though. It's a messaging app and has replaced some forum usage (but as someone who used forums for a long time, nowhere near the same), but what's the actual issue with it?
fair enough--makes sense.
Sounds like discord is just the modern version of chat rooms we used to have back in the day.
Discord has a ton more features than stuff like IRC had.
It's a hub for predators, and used exactly like snapchat and other apps on the banned list are used. I am not saying I am for or against this law, but it just doesn't make sense, feel like some companies paid off the ban while others didn't or something
Roblox and Discord should definitely be on the list lol.
Also Facebook messenger
Can you have a messenger account without a FB profile?
Yes you can. I deleted my Facebook but kept messenger.
Any extra steps or just do it? I’ve been wanting to delete the Facebook but can’t messenger because that’s the one way I contact 2 people
I deactivated my Facebook account. That’s how it worked for me. I did this like 3 years ago, so I’m not sure if it’s still the same process.
Ah okay thanks.
I am at the deactivate stage too, but can’t delete without deleting my profile which deletes messenger
I’ve contemplated deleting everything and starting over with a data profile just for messaging those two people
I just googled.
Deactivated is what works.
I’ve contemplated that too. I have a few friends I only use messenger with. But I have a good enough system now.
Yeah you can now
Why should Facebook Messenger be on the list? It's no different from other instant messengers.
Because it has to be linked to a Facebook account, unless it's changed since I last used it? Also you can search for people you don't know, so it's handy for predators.
You don't need a Facebook account for Messenger anymore, I'm pretty sure you even log in separately nowadays.Ah ok fair enough. Haven't used it in a while.
Rather, it seems like you need to make a FB account, but you can disable it afterwards.
Roblox is a serious problem.
But I think the better solution would be to completely divide the platform into two entirely independent areas, and to access the one for under 16, you have to have your phone number and governmental id (whatever that is in AUS) registered as under 16, so you can't be on any of the other services. Like, no social media except Roblox.
And then make it illegal to register falsely as a child. You get caught with an under 16 account over the age of 18, you go to jail for X years.
That sounds like a pretty good idea provided there's a (one way, ofc) conversion from "Under 16" to "Over 16" account.
It being a good idea means it won't be implemented, but it's a good idea anyway.
It depends on exactly why they've decided to ban the others. The problems with discord and Roblox are different problems than the ones that twitter and Facebook have.
Personally I don't agree with this and I've always been of the opinion that stuff like this should be done by parents but there's a relatively clear divide between what's being banned and what isn't here.
Agree with you
It is, my kids can't use the chat feature anymore on roblox.
I'm not saying it's not bad but do people really go for kids on discord? I'm guessing kids join a lot more public groups than me if that the case cause I thought most people used it for small community (sub 30 active chatters chat groups) and big community event watching but no one talks in the latter ones
One should ask themselves...why.
why discord tho? discord was instrumental for us keeping our friend groups together while growing up.
like even at 27 i still have like 15-20 close friends (and like probaly 30-40 more friends) that i am able to talk to on a regular basis thanks to discord, despite most of us moving across the country for college and work. some of these people moved away at age 13 and we still keep in touch.
I was gonna say...
YouTube is wild - imagine only having access to yt kids until ur 17. wow
Especially as YouTube Kids is full of animal abuse videos, AI junk and low effort brainrot.
Animal abuse videos? Really? I thought yt is very screened. And nothing illegal.
Here's a video about it.
This reminds me of those dog "rescue" videos where it's very obvious the dogs were neglected horribly and then placed somewhere, so they could film the "rescue."
You can still access it, just without an account.
YouTube Kids was FAR more dangerous in my experience as a parent than people expect. My solution with YouTube and my kid when they were young was to do a very locked down set of specific subscriptions on MY account (so I could see anything that somehow got in), and third party YouTube clients that let me make sure only subscribed channels were being watched.
10 minutes on YouTube Kids made it super clear that it wasn't safe environment. (Roblox too for that matter)
Hold on, Roblox; the site proven to have Pedophile groomers creating virtual rooms to interact with kids get a pass??
https://www.wired.com/story/he-hunted-alleged-groomers-on-roblox-then-the-company-banned-him/
https://millerlawgroupnc.com/blog/roblox-grooming-how-online-predators-exploit-game-features/
https://www.anapolweiss.com/blog/top-roblox-games-where-predators-lurk-a-parents-guide-to-spotting-grooming-hotspots/
These laws are never about the children.
What are these laws about then?
Same as chat control to slowly push laws that remove agency from people and ways for people to freely communicate. It always starts as "defending the kids" just look at the UK as a prime example
You're right; ultimately it's about control and profit.
Profit for whom? Which of these companies is the Australia government trying to make money for?
To use them, you need to provide ID verification to prove you're over 18
I'm certain this cannot be abused in any capacity
Curious how? It’s not like these platforms are currently anonymous. And where does the supposed profit motive for the government come in?
insert helen lovejoy think of the children
It will be added..
That's for roblox to fix, but it's pretty much a platform for kids. If you ban kids under 16 from it there's no point in it continuing to exist.
It's been happening for a few years now, they are aware but have did nothing until recently and even then it was very little.
Have you read about the issue?
And the fucking ceo wants to add gambling. Edit: and make it dating app
Didn’t they get sued for that?
MySpace rebirth down under
MateSpace
G’daymate space
I dont know anyone under 30 that uses Facebook
They missed banning google+. Woot.
I'm sorry to inform you that google+ has been discontinued... I think 10 years ago?
r/whoosh
I'm surprised Onlyfans are not on the affected list, it seemed a logical candidate.
I really think onlyfans is already banned for under 16s
I think onlyfans requires id verification here now to view anyway
And it‘s 18+, not 16+
why would only fans be legal for 16 year olds?
It's not, but it's fairly easy to access if your country doesn't have ID verification. I'm from South Africa and here you only need to tick the "I'm 18 years or older" box to get access. A horny teen will easily lie about their age.
Why not. It's only naked people.
I wouldn't consider that social media.
Roblox is literally the embodiment of everything wrong with kids being online but they don't hit that? Just goes to show how clueless these boomers in politics are, making rules that miss the mark entirely and screw over the rest of us.
Discord wide open??? Big mistake!
YouTube is crazy. If I'm 14 watching YouTube kids still, I'm probably developmentally delayed
So true XD imagine being 15 and still having to watch that lol
I think you can still watch non-age restricted videos, you just cant upload your own videos
They got this mostly right
I'm all for protecting kids but this just isn't going to work. The government can't control what people do inside of their own homes. The reason kids get exposed to so much shit online is because parents aren't involved enough in what their kids are doing online or in the presence of other kids. Too many parents either naively expect the best from the internet or they simply aren't parenting their kids and are expecting society to do it for them.
I think the whole 'ban kids u-16 from social media' is one of those things that sounds good in theory.
You know, you have this fantasy scenario where kids don't use social media and they are free from the anxiety, bullying and brain rot associated with it.
But the reality is kids will either find ways around it through VPNs or new social media clones will be built which will basically operate the same way.
There's nothing stopping Zuck etc. from creating a new social media site, which allows u-16s and the government are not quick enough to add it to a list. They'll be forever playing catchup.
I can see this policy being short lasting and unenforceable.
VPNs aren't used by most of the population. There is nothing that's on Netflix that people can't download for free if they are that way inclided. Some kids will undoubtedly skirt the laws using technology, but the vast majority will not. This law will certainly have an effect because humans don't like inconvenience.
Yeah it's one of these things where it feels like its more about publicity associated with it rather than the actual effect it has.
Perhaps like the one pushing this infographic with their logo at the bottom?
Not only that but kid experts as well as a psychology experts have worried that bans such as this one could affect websites and resources that are meant to help kids. This has been going on in the US for example where such restrictions have actually blocked kids from accessing resources to help them get out of abusive situations, help them with their mental health, and things like that. Things like spaces such as in libraries that now reluctantly require children to have permission from their parents to access material including material relating to helping kids who are in abusive situations.
This is not helpful.
I would think device bans for kids would be significantly more effective. As long as internet access is acquired they can do all of these things. So the most effective way to prevent this would be for parents to not allow their kids to have devices.
YouTube, but not… is Google Classroom even a form of social media?
…Roblox and discord is allowed but Youtube is banned.. :/
lol is this a joke? The only thing my 15 year old uses is discord and roblox and steam and google classroom.
but GOD FORBID he watches a minecraft video on youtube
GitHub is my favorite social media
That’s really dumb that they didn’t ban discord… like that platform is grooming central.
Well they took YouTube from them but did not take Roblox. Roblox is the number one problem for kids, in my opinion
Roblox and Discord are the most dangerous for kids.
Insane to ban Youtube, it has such a wealth of educational content.
Good, social media is toxic
Make this happen in the US.
I can't really support government censorship but at least someone is trying something to protect these kids from social media.
That said, it really should be the parents responsibility.
Did the social media ban start today ? I hadn't noticed. It wasn't like the news media made a HUGE POINT OF IT ALL DAY!
Yes, the ban started on December 10, so it began today.
What about Tumblr?
tumbleweed*
YOUTUBE????? are they deranged? You're stuck with YouTube kids until you're 16+? Holy crap VPN sales are going to skyrocket
Edit: seriously forcing teenagers to stick with YouTube kids is how you get a population full of drooling mouthbreathers
YouTube Kids is complete trash!
I think the idea is they won't watch it and do something less brain rotty instead. I assume anyway.
No this law does not stop them from watching it it stops them from creating an account. There's nothing stopping them from watching any brain rot material on YouTube because you don't need an account to watch anything. It only stops them from participating such as uploading videos or commenting or liking.
That is all it does.
Also it would require people to upload their faces, their government ID, or anything if they are accused of being a person under the age of 16. So yeah, just give YouTube your government ID. Not like there hasn't been data breaches before.
Roblox walks free? Lol.
Roblox has had a huge issue with predatory behavior.. Schlep on YouTube has been warning folks about it. Legal stuff happening. Fr awhile back: https://youtu.be/hMqAw_NjHK8?si=bmpyFlEJUIBAw8Rw
Did anyone ask which category 4chan is in?
As someone who was underage in the 90s and not allowed to visit adult-oriented sites: lol
Not including roblox is an insane decision
I do think roblox and discord are a separate problem tbh so i understand why they are not included here. But cutting youtube seems harsh.
Do we know what the criteria were?
Whoa. You're going to let your under-16 kids hang out unsupervised on Github?
We all know where that's going to go -- they're going to end up forking some stranger's code.
I expected more from Australia.
I have never been so tickled by a GitHub comment 🤣
What about bluesky?
Haha Discord eh
Discord 100% has implemented the picture/ID in Australia as I can no longer view a nsfw channel without uploading my ugly mug to the platform.
Thank GOD children can still go on GitHub, it was my favourite social media site when I was 11
What’s the fucking point then?
Good for Australia! Nothing's perfect, but at least they are trying something
I don't know about that.
In terms of actually stopping children from accessing adult content and/or getting groomed, anything less than 99% perfect is going to be incredibly ineffective. Kids want to access social media and adult content, if there are holes in the system blocking these sites, they're going to look for and find those holes.
There are better methods of keeping kids safe online. You can teach online safety, and since the internet isn't the only place kids can be groomed, you need to be teaching them what grooming looks like (and giving them safe channels to report it) anyway.
These system can be harmful. Adults should be able to access these sites without giving out personal information, and this kind of system can be very easily adapted to prevent kids from accessing lgbt content, as an example. It's hard to articulate how the growth of this kind of policy is something that needs to be pushed back against.
Social media is an absolute cancer that has been thrust upon our children. How the fuck did we let Mark Zuckerberg infiltrate teen minds? Kids need to be interacting with each other IRL and I am for any legislation that moves us in that direction. This should be the very beginning of this fight
No, it's a way to create mass surveillance. It's going to require people to give their government ID for websites and websites have been known to have data breaches.
Not only that but what if a child is prevented from accessing resources or websites that could help them if they are in an abusive situation for example?
If the government wants to protect kids then they should be requiring that schools and classrooms teach internet literacy and safety as well as requiring that social media sites have more options to help protect children.
Not censoring and kicking them out of a platform that's not going to teach them proper Internet safety when they're older.
Out of curiosity more than anything, why is social media "cancer"? What specifically is it that makes it harmful?
When Instagram was actively available to preteen girls on their phones (10 years ago or so), self harm rates DOUBLED seemingly overnight. Social anxiety rates have also skyrocketed. Don't even get me started on these short videos that none of these platforms allow you to deny. If you just started there and made them allow you the option to get rid of short videos. This would be a start
They should increase the ban to 86
This is the smartest thing. 100% want this in the USA history is going to judge us harshly for not protecting our kids from this crap
No it targets vulnerable communities and prevents them from accessing information that they need to stay safe.
These situations do not make children safer, they make it more dangerous. Not only that but it should be very obvious that these situations are not to protect children, it is a form of censorship to prevent children from accessing information that doesn't come from the mainstream media because they learn that while children are more exposed to random information they're also exposed to information that the mainstream media cannot filter out first such as situations of atrocities in other countries. When the youth are allowed to access information that the government can't filter out first then it means that children are able to form their own opinions at younger ages and that is something the government does not like.
Discord? Seriously? That feels like an enormous oversight if they really meant for this plan to have teeth.
Should ban them for everyone!
Lol GitHub
This is problematic asf. The responsibility should be with the companies not the children.
Thats exactly what is happening though...
Couldn't we say the same about cigarettes?
But what about porn?
It's time for reddit Kids.
tumblr?
Must suck to be a 15 year old. Too old for kitties, too young for fussy.
Such a great idea!!
Discord has some of the most vile discussions I've ever seen.
Wait, Steam? Isn’t that a game platform?
Github kinda advanced for the young ones isnt it?
Insane that Roblox and Discord are not affected.
Youtubeur would make sense if the original platform wasn’t already censored as hell in the first place
We have a friend of the family that works as a cop focused on online predator cases. He’s mentioned before that shady shit can happen on Pinterest.
When the thing pops up just click yes your over 16. we learned this in the hub
GitHub is social media that’s wild.
GitHub …
Discord, Roblox - two sites that don’t have problems with creeps targeting those underaged.
Git-fckn-hub is social media? Really?
That should be a human rights violation.
GitHub is considered to be Social Media?
That's interesting.
How is using whatsapp or discord any safer than using snapchat?
If it's about protecting children, why is Roblox not blocked?
I have questions….
Roblox that is filled with pedos where we get a story every other week about some kid being seduced isn’t blocked?
Discord is going to be where they all flock 1000%.
Why did that feel like a lost of things old people use and a list of things the cool kids use. What was the point of the ban again?
I see no problem with GitHub. It's not even really social media it's just a code repository that happens to have accounts and the ability to post comments on repositories.
Love it when other countries do the obvious.
Meanwhile the US with its care for kids letting the Zuck fuck their kids brains up.
Between the gun fire and social media bullying, this country is producing serial killers and amoral humans in mass.
I hope none of us will need their care in the future.
Maybe parents should be competent
At least someone remembered that there’s a YouTube Kids, because YouTube surely never does
Can we do this globally?
Awesome!
Roblox? I’ve heard so many bad things coming from that platform. And YouTube shouldn’t be blocked. People use it to learn skills
How will they validate people's ages? You have to submit an ID to access a site? Also how does YouTube track this? You can watch YouTube without an account login ?
OK, so I didn't see any social media platforms on the right... So... What??
After listening to an interview with the Roblox CEO, I think it should be on the banned list.
Adults are too stupid to make these laws. Kids are not and will find a way no matter what.
the right side column has way worse content and child predators that are on the hunt. not very smart
Wish we had this in the US
WhatsApp is bad. Anyone tries to get me to contact them there, I block them
So just uninstall it? Should phone numbers also be banned? I get nothing but scam messages there.
I don't answer anything outside of my US area code unless I have the number saved, or I am expecting a specific call. If I am terribly curious, I will just text them and ask them what they want
That makes zero sense, but good luck with that.
Surprised Roblox was not affected with all that’s going on there.
Then again, technology often is overtaking government responses and law development.
Also it’s easy to write off video games because they’re “just games”. That allows the industry to do a lot of stuff they would be instantly condemned if done anywhere else.
You want to see what poor practices companies will do, see what the games industry is doing: they are the canaries of the coal mine.
Looks like a list made by politicians with a less than surface level understanding of the issue.
Of course, the fact that this list was made at all shows a less than surface level understanding of the issue.
What is your background that gives you a deep understanding of the issue?
This is awesome, now do this in the US please
Bluesky isn’t banned either. But it should be.
how many kids are on Bluesky?
This is how I would have separated them.
This move is getting a lot of criticism, but the way modern social media platforms hijack your dopamine system to keep you on the app or keep you coming back, and the algorithms that push harmful content because that's what is most "engaging" for many, means that these platforms can be really harmful. I'm 33 and I can barely control my usage, particularly when I'm feeling low. I'm so glad this wasn't around when I was a kid.
And for those who are saying blocking YouTube means they are missing out on good/educational content, then the solution is simple. Those videos can be found on another platform, like YouTube, but without the short form content or algorithms designed to keep you hooked. If this doesn't exist yet, then Australia has a big market gap and I'm sure someone will fill it in soon.
Who considers Reddit, YouTube or Twitch as social media? They're totally different from the other platforms
Yea, they are even more addictive
Not sure if serious.
Your definition of social media might be off.
Reddit is a discussion and community forum basically, which are social media.
Social media also are media sharing networks like TikTok or YouTube and Twitch.
You don't consider Reddit a social media?
Lego the goat
Let’s go RedNote then!
Everyday the West is becoming more censored like china.... Who the eff do these people think they are
Has anyone used pinterest other than by accident this decade? Weird to see it mentioned, but bluesky isn't even on the list. Maybe i just hear more about it in my online bubble.