Yesterday
Inquiry outlines plan to tame social media giants
The federal government should increase pressure on social media giants by improving enforceability of Australian law on the most popular platforms, an inquiry has recommended.
- Tom McIlroy
This Month
Principals back social media ban but won’t give up YouTube
Two veteran educators say YouTube will likely still be used by teachers in the classroom, even if students are banned from using it.
- Sam Buckingham-Jones
Feeling lonely? You’re probably making 3 mistakes
Technology and loneliness are interlinked, stoked by the ways we interact with social media, text messaging and binge-watching. Here are some solutions
- Brian X. Chen
- Opinion
- The AFR View
Social media age ban is good for kids and parents
Labor’s move to now run hard on the issue of young peoples’ safety online will resonate with millions of average mums and dads.
- The AFR View
- Opinion
- Social media
Big tech should stay in the sin bin until children are safe online
New laws could be less about booting kids off platforms and more about denying companies the ability to host young users unless they prove their products are safe.
- Rys Farthing
Canberra takes on big tech – and Gen Alpha – with social media bans
All Australians could be forced to register official identity documents with social media giants to prove they are over the age of 16.
- Paul Smith
How a ‘family smartphone’ can help keep kids off social media
No one has a landline any more, but one Brisbane family has found benefits in sharing a spare smartphone.
- Tess Bennett
‘Harming our kids’: PM announces social media ban for under-16s
In a potential early flashpoint with Trump ally Elon Musk, the government will bring in big fines for social media companies that break the proposed laws.
- Paul Smith
October
How to make a six-figure salary writing newsletters
Inside the colourful, sometimes niche and wacky world of newsletter publishing. Some, like James Check and Alec Dejanovic, have made a full-time job of it.
- Sam Buckingham-Jones
Rock stars and Wiggles: Google takes on big tech rules
The search giant is bankrolling parties and events that are an unsubtle reminder to the government of its huge power.
- Paul Smith and Sam Buckingham-Jones
- Opinion
- Tech crackdown
Big tech ad levy can’t be a sugar hit
The proposal to pull financial contributions from digital advertising and direct them towards public interest journalism mustn’t let the platforms buy their way out of accountability for their questionable business as usual.
- Alice Dawkins
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
The bigger story in Facebook’s face off with Canberra and the media
A parliamentary committee’s push to tax Facebook owner Meta Platforms to help fund journalism is part of a global regulatory move against big tech.
- James Thomson
Money pulled from big tech ahead of wild market swings
After nearly two years of oversized returns from “the only trade in town”, Australian investors are preparing for a choppier outlook on Wall Street.
- Joshua Peach
Harris raises almost $1.5b to surge past Trump in election money race
The Democratic presidential candidate has pulled in more cash in three months than the Republican challenger has managed since January last year.
- Sam Learner and Alex Rogers
Meta sacks staff for abusing $37 meal credits
Some workers had been pooling their money together, while others were getting meals sent home even though the credits are intended for the office.
- Hannah Murphy and Stephen Morris
Meta’s AI lets you talk to Judi Dench, but it won’t tell how to vote
Actors Kristen Bell, Judi Dench and John Cena are among the first batch of celebrities to license their voices to Meta’s new AI virtual assistant.
- Tess Bennett
Social media penalties ‘must include big fines’
Tech companies should face multimillion-dollar fines for failing to enforce laws restricting social media access for children, the South Australian premier says.
- Tess Bennett
Inside the bro-ification of Mark Zuckerberg
The Meta founder has quietly remade his public image, attracting the same generation of start-up guys who once idolised Elon Musk.
- Nitasha Tiku and Naomi Nix
Once the future of the internet, the metaverse is largely empty
Two years ago, the world’s biggest brands couldn’t get enough of virtual worlds. Now, only the most hardcore users are left.
- Tess Bennett and Rachael Bolton
Labor defector Payman’s political party launch days away
Sources familiar with Senator Payman’s thinking said Anthony Albanese’s threat of a double dissolution election meant she needed to move swiftly.
- Ronald Mizen
