Break out the popcorn, folks, this state-mandated privacy disaster should be fun to watch; the last time I saw regulation proposed as crazy as this it led* directly to the Cambridge Analytica debacle — not to mention the general increased risk of data breach everywhere.

Australia plans social media ban for under-16s

---

Australia’s government says it will introduce “world-leading” legislation to ban children under 16 from social media.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the proposed laws, to be tabled in parliament next week, were aimed at mitigating the “harm” social media was inflicting on Australian children. “This one is for the mums and dads… They, like me, are worried sick about the safety of our kids online. I want Australian families to know that the government has your back,” he said.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gzd62g1r3o

See also:

Today Prime Minister @AlboMP and Minister for Communications @MRowlandMP announced the government’s proposal to introduce a minimum age of 16 for access to social media platforms. eSafety welcomes the government’s leadership on this important issue: https://t.co/PSaFdhgXje pic.twitter.com/uBlJuuPeBd

— eSafety Commissioner (@eSafetyOffice) November 7, 2024

—

[*] European demands that Facebook open up data-sharing APIs to third parties because of fears that it was becoming an ivory tower locking-up and gatekeeping all that valuable personal data.