reclaimthenet on Nostr: Australia banned under-16s from social media last December. A University of Chicago ...

Australia banned under-16s from social media last December. A University of Chicago study found about 73% of the 14 and 15 year olds it covers are still on the banned apps. The platforms have already closed more than 5 million accounts and set AI loose on people’s posts looking for mentions of birthdays and school grades. It didn’t work.

So the government doubled the maximum fine to A$109.2 million. That didn’t work either.

Now it’s preparing to sue Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube. The eSafety Commissioner has new powers to summon current and former employees and question them under oath. Anyone who refuses to answer faces 12 months in prison.

Nobody in charge has stopped to ask whether the law is the problem. Kids keep getting around it, and the only way to close the gaps is to check the age of every Australian, adults included. That was always where this was heading.

https://reclaimthenet.org/australia-social-media-age-ban-court-case