JP

Solid rake-stepping game from AusGov on the socmed teen ban this week. Plenty more rakes to step on next week tho!

Really important to stress that 36 Months accused academics and experts critical of the ban of being 'paid' by big tech. When asked for evidence of this, the MD said "I haven't looked into it."

Meanwhile 36 Months itself was directly funded by a business helping promote the gambling industry.

NEW: A leaked document shows the key group behind the teen social media ban, 36 Months, was selling a $150,000 "UNGA Event Sponsorship" in the lead-up to Australia's UN event spruiking the policy.

It promised brands "influence" and "access" to heads of state.

www.crikey.com.au/20...

Reddit launches high court challenge to Australia’s under-16s social media ban Case filed Friday morning in Australia, two days after world-leading ban came into effect Reddit has filed a challenge the under-16s social media ban in the high court, filing its case on Friday morning, two days after implementing age restrictions on its website. The company said in a post on Friday that while Reddit agrees with protecting people under 16, “this law has the unfortunate effect of forcing intrusive and potentially insecure verification processes on adults as well as minors, isolating teens from the ability to engage in age-appropriate community experiences (including political discussions), and creating an illogical patchwork of which platforms are included and which aren’t”. It added: “As the Australian Human Rights Commission put it, ‘There are less restrictive alternatives available that could achieve the aim of protecting children and young people from online harms, but without having such a significant negative impact on other human rights.’ ”Lastly, this law is applied to Reddit inaccurately, since we’re a forum primarily for adults and we don’t have the traditional social media features the government has taken issue with.” Continue reading...

Reddit launches high court challenge to Australia’s under-16s social media ban

Scoop: the pro-teen social media ban lobby group 36 Months was funded & co-staffed by its co-founder's ad production firm that was simultaneously making gambling ads

The federal government has ignored calls for a gambling ad ban while pursuing the social media ban.

www.crikey.com.au/20...

Understanding secondary supply of alcohol - Alcohol and Drug Foundation Understand secondary supply laws for alcohol provision to minors, including legal responsibilities, penalties, and harm prevention strategies for adults.

Fun fact for social media teen ban fans: In the ACT, NSW, SA, TAS, VIC and WA alcohol can be provided to minors in a private home if:
- provided by the parent/guardian or with permission of the parent/guardian
- provided with responsible supervision adf.org.au/insights/und...

Behind The Stupid Fence™ on parliament hill?

Fucking WHERE

Your wish was granted years ago.

‘Everyone got paid’: How Wippa’s pro-teen social media ban group cashed in on its success 36 Months accused ban critics of being paid off by big tech. Meanwhile, it was lining up sponsorship deals, eyeing global expansion and coming up with its own AI tool to sell.

Great reporting on the shysters behind the Social Media Ban by @cameronwilson.bsky.social www.crikey.com.au/2025/12/09/3...

I guess the unknown pleasures shirt was about getting rolled by an FM radio DJ called 'Wippa'. In fairness, few of us will have that pleasure.

How is everyone enjoying their responsible service of social media course?

They have also rolled this out to New Zealand users.
bsky.app/profile/deni...

I should probably re-plug the podcast I did with @daedalus.eigenmagic.com, which included a whole bunch about the social media age restrictions. bsky.app/profile/stil...

I would go further: the people who made this happen were aggressively disinterested in learning about downsides or alternatives that would have worked better.

There’s more on the social media age restrictions, as well as other things, in this week’s podcast with @daedalus.eigenmagic.com.

It is vitally important that 12 year olds see lots of ads and Sky After Dark.

They have learned. They have learned that they can, by and large, get away with it. Perhaps that should change?

Younger people who didn't witness it cannot fathom the hype around the Segway. Every news station agreed it would revolutionize the entire social fabric of the Earth. That all future humans would divide history between the savage days of the past, and the soon to be new era of zoom zoom scoot scoot.

Watching everyone step enthusiastically on all the rakes they carefully put down is going to be very funny, though.

I have said it before: Australia's social media ban policy cannot fail, it can only be failed.

It's almost as if the problems were predicted ahead of time, and the politicians knew all about them, but did the ban anyway because they really, really wanted to.

Close-up photo of middle-aged white man with neatly-trimmed grey stubble and black-rimmed spectacles. He wears an open-necked white collared shirt and a black jacket. It's Justin Warren.

NEW PODCAST: “The 9pm Social Media Ban and the Special Duck with Justin Warren” @daedalus.eigenmagic.com (1h14m42s) the9pmedict.com/edict/000258/

Look for “The 9pm Edict” in your podcast app.

Like it? Please tell your friends and maybe even pledge your support at the9pmedict.com/summer2025.

Wed plan: Post a podcast which was just completed, the music one; eggs; laundry; edit and post another podcast, the one with @daedalus.eigenmagic.com; collapse, because that’s a full day.

A middle-aged white man in a black t-shirt stands in front of some tropical tree or other, smiling, with his hands clasped behind his back. His hair is brown, as is his beard. He wears spectacles . The t-shirt has a green print in the style of, and indeed taken from, an old video game called Oregon Trail. It shows a covered wagon and the text: You Have Died of Dysentery.

NEW PODCAST: “The 9pm Miracle Medical Reality with Dr Trent Yarwood” (1h00m15s) the9pmedict.com/edict/00257/

Look for “The 9pm Edict” in your podcast app.

Like it? Please tell your friends and maybe pledge your support at the9pmedict.com/summer2025.

Scoop: The most popular apps in Australia right now are social media platforms not included in the teen ban (so far).

This comes as teens make videos recommending that they all migrate to these alternative platforms to get around the ban — something experts warned about.

www.crikey.com.au/20...

Teens seek urgent high court injunction to block Australian government’s social media ban Noah Jones and Macy Neyland, both 15, are supported by a digital rights group led by NSW Libertarian MP John Ruddick

Waited to get the court docs before reporting on the high court challenge to the social media ban.

They reveal an injunction will be sought against esafety, the minister and the govt to stop enforcement. And one of the teens is turning 16 before the ban.

www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...

Major N.L. healthcare report contains errors likely generated by A.I. – The Independent $1.6 million Health Human Resources Plan from Deloitte cites research papers that don’t exist, making it the second major government policy paper called into question in as many months

To fabricate a report with AI once, Deloitte, may be regarded as a misfortune. To do so twice looks like carelessness. theindependent.ca/news/lji/maj...

"Deloitte allegedly cited AI-generated research in a million-dollar report for a Canadian provincial government", per Forbes

fortune.com/2025/11/...

Just because no one has heard of anything happening doesn't mean they won't pass something that was hastily drafted at 4am after 9 coffees and/or shots at some bar in Dickson.