Will Australia's Social Media Ban for Under-16s Work?
Will Australia's social media ban for under-16s work? - The Global Story podcast, BBC World Service
Estimated read time: 1:20
Summary
The Global Story podcast from BBC World Service explores Australia's proposed ban on social media for under-16s, featuring insights from cyber correspondent Joe Tidy and Australia correspondent Katy Watson. The discussion centers on whether banning under-16s from platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook will be effective or feasible. Concerns about social media's influence on teenagers, including addiction and exposure to harmful content, are contrasted with arguments highlighting teens' creative contributions online. The podcast delves into the technical challenges of enforcing such a ban, including age verification hurdles and the innovative ways teens could circumvent restrictions. Parents and experts voice divided opinions, questioning if the ban can address the root issues or whether it's a misdirected effort when tech companies could instead ensure safer platforms.
Highlights
Australia's proposed social media ban for under-16s has sparked worldwide debate about its efficacy. 🚨
Teens use social media both as a social lifeline and a potential source of negative exposure. 🎢
Experts argue that banning social media may not address the fundamental issues and might deny teens valuable online learning experiences. 📚
Tech companies face the challenge of creating safer environments for young users without stifling creativity and access. 🛠
The debate highlights a generational clash over digital freedom and online safety for the youth. ✨
Key Takeaways
Australia plans to ban under-16s from using social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, stirring global debate about its feasibility and impact. 🇦🇺
Social media is a double-edged sword for teens: a source of connectivity and creativity, yet a hub of addiction and harmful content. 🤔
Parents are concerned, but experts argue that outright bans might not be the solution; safer platforms could be the answer. 🛡
Teens today are savvy with tech and might easily bypass restrictions, raising questions about the practicality of the ban. 💻
The world is watching Australia's move, which may set a precedent for global social media regulations for minors. 🌍
Overview
In a move that has caught international attention, Australia's new law aims to curb social media usage among the under-16 demographic. This proposal has ignited intense discussions about its feasibility and the mixed reactions from parents, experts, and the tech community. The law targets platforms like TikTok and Instagram, with the aim of protecting young people from the potential harms of social media addiction and exposure to damaging content.
Despite the good intentions, many argue that the ban might not be practically enforceable. The tech-savvy nature of today's teens means they could easily circumvent restrictions using VPNs and other methods. Critics suggest that instead of banning access, efforts should focus on making these platforms safer for young users by leveraging age verification tools and tailored content moderation to create a child-friendly digital environment.
As the world watches Australia, this situation underscores the growing tension between maintaining digital safety for minors and respecting their right to access online spaces. Social media companies are under pressure to innovate solutions that balance creativity with protection, as governments globally ponder similar legislative measures. The outcome of Australia's initiative could set a significant precedent for international technology regulation.
Chapters
00:00 - 01:30: Introduction and Overview of Social Media Usage by Teens The chapter discusses the pervasive role of social media in the lives of teenagers, particularly focusing on the situation in Australia. There are concerns about the potential negative impacts of harmful content on these platforms. The chapter raises questions about safeguarding teens in the digital space while acknowledging the importance of social media for social interaction and community engagement.
01:30 - 03:00: Australia's Social Media Ban Proposal Australia proposes a ban to prevent teens under 16 from using social media networks. The discussion features insights from BBC's cyber correspondent Joe Tidy and Australia correspondent Katy Watson from Sydney on the potential effectiveness and implications of this proposal.
03:00 - 04:30: Parenting Challenges with Social Media The chapter "Parenting Challenges with Social Media" discusses the overwhelming presence of social media in daily life, especially in the context of children and teenagers. Social media is likened to a 'runaway train,' signifying its unstoppable and pervasive influence. The conversation highlights parents' challenges with children wanting constant access to these platforms, as these spaces are where they communicate, make plans, and socialize. The chapter reflects on how social media has become integrated into essential aspects of youth interactions, making it a consistent topic in households. It also touches on the growth of social media platforms into some of the world's largest companies, amplifying their impact on society.
04:30 - 07:00: Social Media Platforms' Influence on Teens The chapter discusses the influence of social media platforms on teenagers, focusing on the platforms' success in engaging users. It highlights sophisticated algorithms that personalize content by analyzing user behavior, such as dwelling on pictures or the positive reinforcement received from likes and messages. This personalized interaction keeps users, especially young people, engaged and potentially addicted to social media. Additionally, the chapter prompts considerations for parents regarding their children's future interactions with social media.
07:00 - 09:30: Concerns About Social Media Addiction The chapter titled 'Concerns About Social Media Addiction' discusses the observations and concerns of a parent with young children regarding the impact of social media as they grow up. The parent, whose eldest child is eight, is in a unique position to observe the experiences and reactions of families with slightly older children who are beginning to face social media challenges. While this parent's children are not yet on social media, they are starting to think about the implications, and are having discussions with their partner about the potential future challenges and parenting strategies to adopt.
09:30 - 12:30: Health Implications of Social Media Use The chapter explores the health implications of social media use, focusing on decision-making and parenting strategies regarding children's social media engagement. The speakers discuss their personal experiences with young children and the challenges of navigating social media exposure. One speaker is still formulating a plan regarding social media use for their children, who are ten years old and younger. They express the need for guidance on how to handle their children's growing interest in gaming and potentially social media in the future. The emphasis is on finding a balance between allowing technological engagement while maintaining healthy habits.
12:30 - 15:30: Navigating Online Spaces Safely The chapter discusses Australia's proposal aimed at protecting young people in online spaces. The focus is on support rather than punishment or isolation, emphasizing the role of parents in their children's digital wellbeing. According to Australia's communications minister, Michelle Rowland, the ban will apply to various social media platforms, including TikTok, X, Facebook, and Instagram, despite fewer teens using Facebook. The goal is to shield youths from the potential dangers of social media.
15:30 - 19:00: Australian Government's Intentions with the Ban This chapter discusses the Australian government's intentions regarding a new policy that is causing significant discussion in Australia. The policy centers around the age of 16, which is considered relatively high, and there has been a debate about its feasibility. A crucial point is that parents will not be penalized, nor will teenagers who manage to obtain social media accounts despite the rules.
19:00 - 24:00: Challenges in Implementing the Ban The chapter 'Challenges in Implementing the Ban' discusses the difficulties faced in enforcing a ban on social media accounts for individuals under the age of 16. It emphasizes that there will be no exceptions, even with parental consent, leaving the responsibility to social media companies and platforms to ensure compliance. Despite the legislative framework being in place, the chapter highlights the ambiguity in how exactly the ban will be implemented effectively.
24:00 - 30:00: Technology Companies' Response The chapter discusses the responses of technology companies to new legislation. It highlights the uncertainty surrounding the implementation of the law, which will have a year to be worked out. The main question is how it will be practically enforced, especially in terms of keeping children off social media.
30:00 - 33:00: Conclusion and Open Questions This chapter delves into the complexities and challenges of implementing age restrictions for online access to protect minors. It raises critical questions about the practicality of governmental proposals, such as age verification and potential requirements for uploading identification, even for users under 16. The chapter highlights ongoing discussions concerning which types of services will be subjected to restrictions, noting that messaging services and gaming sites might be exempt. Furthermore, it touches on the implications for accessing sites essential for education or health, and the perspectives of young influencers in the digital age.
Will Australia's social media ban for under-16s work? - The Global Story podcast, BBC World Service Transcription
00:00 - 00:30 Hello, I'm Lucy Hockings from the BBC
World Service. This is The Global Story. Today: Are teens in Australia
about to get kicked off social media? Parents across the world
know this predicament. Social media networks can be
a huge part of teenage life. A place to speak to friends
and join communities. But it's also a place
where harmful content
can repeatedly impact young people. So how can we keep our teens safe
on these platforms?
00:30 - 01:00 In today's episode, Australia wants
to ban teens under the age of 16 from using social media networks.
But will it work? With me today is
the BBC's cyber correspondent Joe Tidy and our Australia correspondent
joining us from Sydney, Katy Watson. Hi to you both. Hi! Joe, I think because I have teenagers
that social media is a bit
01:00 - 01:30 like a runaway train
in a land I've never been to, and I just really want the train to
pull over and give me a bit of a break. It is a constant topic of conversation,
and in my house. Is that because the kids want to be on there
all the time? They're saying, give me my phone
late at night and that kind of thing? The kids want to be on there
all the time. That is where they're talking
to their friends. That's where they're making plans,
making arrangements, everything from a sports practice to
meeting up, you know, to socialising. It's all happening on social media.
It's no surprise, though, is it, because these platforms have become
the biggest companies in the world
01:30 - 02:00 because of how successful they are. They
know how to keep us on the platform. They've got very,
very specific and very sophisticated algorithms that know
that if you dwell on a picture oh, you might like that kind of
content, let's give you more of that. They know that, for example,
when you get a like, it feels good, or when you get a message,
it makes you feel loved. So it's no surprise, is it, that
young people, even more so than us, are addicted to social media. And what about your kids, Katy?
They're a bit smaller, but has it made you think
about what you're going to do
02:00 - 02:30 about social media
as they grow up? I think I'm in the privileged
situation of watching everybody
with slightly older kids. My eldest is eight and so I can see
everybody else who've got, you know, early teens panicking
and I can take a view or certainly start debating and
discussing it with my partner, I think. Uh, no, none of them are
on social media. They sometimes look at what I do. Um, but really, um, I'm in a probably
a good place right now to kind of...
02:30 - 03:00 But I've got to make decisions
and I've got to have that kind of authority of what my plan is.
And at the moment, I'm still formulating that one. Have you formulated a strategy
with yours, Joe? They're small too. Yeah.
My eldest is ten today. I've got two others who are younger,
so I'm in the same position, really. I'm waiting
to have those conversations. Luckily, they're not happening yet, and my boy is obsessed with football
and likes to be outside and loves gaming. I have to restrict the gaming,
but phones, social media? I'm not there yet. So
any advice from you would be great!
03:00 - 03:30 Okay, I've got lots of it!
But let's have a look at what Australia is proposing. This is about protecting young people,
not punishing or isolating them, and letting parents know we're
in their corner when it comes to supporting their
children's health and wellbeing. That's Australia's communications
minister, Michelle Rowland. She says the ban, it's going
to cover platforms like TikTok, X,
Facebook and Instagram. Not that many teens are actually
on Facebook, I have to say, but it's about protecting young people
from the harms of social media.
03:30 - 04:00 Katy, tell us a little bit more
about what the Australian government is saying
and what they're planning. This has made huge waves in Australia
because of the age 16, you know, that was a seen
as a high age, a big discussion about whether, you know,
that was even going to be feasible. And what the main thing is, is that
parents aren't going to be penalised. Neither are any teens who slip through
the net and get social media accounts.
04:00 - 04:30 But effectively there will be
no exceptions. Not even if parents agree
and say that they want their kids, they're okay with their kids having
a social media, um, social media account,
that they can't do that. But the onus will be
on the companies and the platforms to come up with ways of making sure
that those under 16s are kept safe. And this is the thing. At the moment,
it is a legal framework. So, you know,
the legislation is passing, but it's not clear exactly how
it's going to be implemented.
04:30 - 05:00 And it will still have a year from the legislation
passing to coming up with a solution on how it's going to work. And
a year at least. That can be negotiated. So it's a big process,
and there's lots and lots of question marks about how it's
going to work in practice. How it's going to work was the big
question I had when I heard about it, because keeping your kid off social media,
if they really want to be on there, aside from actually taking the device
away from them,
05:00 - 05:30 could prove almost impossible. Has
the government got some suggestions about how you're actually going
to stop kids from logging on. There's discussions about age
verification. How would that work? Will that mean everybody has to upload
their ID, whether or not they're under 16?
There's so many question marks. And the other thing is,
is that messaging services, gaming sites, none
of those are going to be restricted. Some sites, for example,
that, um, you would access for health or education purposes,
they won't be restricted. And I spoke to, you know, one young,
uh, influencer who was just like,
05:30 - 06:00 it's just a bunch
of old people who are making up rules for young people who who know
far more about it. Just angry old people like, 'Ah,
ban social media.' But now this is becoming a threat. This only affects me, not the
people making this law. Not at all. You're taking choices away
from young people, and these are choices
that they have grown up with, that they understand, that
they navigate quicker and better. It's not really good
for communities and stuff
06:00 - 06:30 because some people need
to have communities online. Honestly, I think it's a good thing.
There's a lot of really terrible influences online,
more so than good ones. Joe, we're going to be talking a lot about
teenagers as consumers of social media. But teenagers are also wonderful
creators of content when it comes to some of these platforms as well.
And that's had a big impact. Yeah, I think the social networks
want the kids on their platforms because often, as you say,
it's vibrant, it's creative.
06:30 - 07:00 Some of the best memes and GIFs
and online trends have come from very young people
on these platforms. And some of the most fun that you
can have on the internet is on these on these networks,
for example, TikTok, you know, some of the stuff that we saw on TikTok
in the last couple of years. The joke is that it takes three or four
weeks for that to eventually end up on Instagram, because it does start
on these platforms where kids populate
and social networks know that, and they want their creators
to be young and have a long future of building content that
people are going to be interested in.
07:00 - 07:30 And what's interesting as well is
that if you look at what's happening in what some, including Mark
Zuckerberg from Meta, will argue is the next stage in our technological
entertainment, the Metaverse. So VR headsets,
they've actually lowered the age. They've now lowered it
to ten in America and Canada. And if you go on those platforms, you
know, I feel very, very old now going into some of these rooms and
these experiences and horizon worlds because they are... it's all kids there. And that's where they see
the future of these platforms being.
07:30 - 08:00 So you can see the kind of the strain that the social networks
and these companies are under. If they somehow get rid
of the children, how are they going to get them into
the social networks that are going to help them create the
next generation of content creators? If you speak
to parents around the world, most would acknowledge
that they're worried that their teenagers are spending too much
time on these social media platforms. And that's concerning, particularly
as we start to learn more about the impact
that that is having on them.
08:00 - 08:30 What are some of the things that
actually do concern you when you look at what some teams are consuming. There's no denying that algorithms
push people towards extremes. We now know that. We've had 20 years
of social networks, and there's been so much research
that's been done on it. So, for example, if you look at, um,
a macho type account, maybe you're going to be given more of that, maybe it's
going to lead you down a path of, I don't know, misogyny or, um,
you know, incel culture in some ways, and particularly with, with young
boys, we see that kind of thing.
08:30 - 09:00 Likewise with women more
in particular, we see if you look at, um, body image
type imagery or videos or content that will push you eventually down
to potential issues of how you feel about how you look and potentially
eating disorders, that kind of thing. We know those issues are there, but then there's lots of other things
that we're still not sure about. So, for example, is there such thing
as social media addiction? Is there such thing as gaming addiction?
There's a lot of this discussion. A lot of these words
are being bandied around right now
about children being addicted. I said it earlier, didn't I?
Just off the cuff.
09:00 - 09:30 But there's no real evidence to say
that those are actual real addictions. There's a gaming addiction, uh,
therapy centre in the UK that was opened and that was very controversial
because scientists said, well actually, is it
an addiction? And there are other places, other
research that says that actually social networks are really good for children
because it brings them together. We mentioned earlier, Katy said
about particularly if you're, for example, LGBT, queer or trans, you know, you need that kind of
community, to find your people. So the dangers of social media are
there. Some of them we know about,
09:30 - 10:00 and there seems to be not
enough happening to solve them. And some are still kind of debated
about whether or not they're good or bad for you.
And so do we know or has research been done about
what regular social media use does? Because I think that'll be a lot
of the concerns that parents will be expressing is just
about the daily use of social media and how much time their kids
are spending on social media. Well, the research says
that if everything else in your life is stable and good,
10:00 - 10:30 then social media is good, because
it's another way to socialise, open up your world horizons,
that kind of thing. But when you add that
into a situation where perhaps
you haven't got a stable home life or you're being bullied at school
or something like that, then it can just compound problems
and make things worse. There's no hard and fast rules
that I've seen in research that says if you spend
more than two hours a day as a teenager on social networks, you're
going to have mental health problems. There's nothing that
concrete out there. But the thing about all of this is,
you only have to ask a parent
10:30 - 11:00 when you look at your kid absorbed in
their phone for hours and hours a day, perhaps starting to feel bad about
how they look, or things like that. And you feel like anecdotally
it cannot be a good thing. Or that it's preventing them
from doing other things. Yeah. The amount of time I hear parents say,
'Get outside, get a ball, go and play, get off your phone, get off your phone!'
You hear it time and time again. Is there an argument
that teenage years should also be when teens are learning
to navigate online spaces safely?
11:00 - 11:30 So if they get to 16
and they're in Australia and they've got no experience
of this. That that's a bit dangerous. That's one of the arguments
that we're hearing on this is that if you're suddenly launched
into the internet at the age of 16 and you haven't got much experience,
would you know how to spot, for example,
AI imagery? The prevalence now of models that are
artificial intelligence created. Would you be aware of that kind
of thing because it's something
that you haven't had experience of. There was some research done
by a university in the UK
11:30 - 12:00 about Chinese,
not just social media bans, but the bans of smartphones and devices,
at a certain sort of time of night. And they are saying that it's a
good thing to take the devices away, and then they can go out
and they can play and it's a less sedentary lifestyle,
that kind of thing. And they said
that a 10% reduction in screen time means ten more minutes
of playing outside or something. So they would argue, the researchers,
that that kind of experience of playing and socialising face to face makes up
for a lack of technical knowledge,
12:00 - 12:30 for example. Are these some of the arguments, Katy,
that you're hearing, particularly from parents,
in Australia? When, uh, the Prime Minister,
Anthony Albanese, announced it back in September, he said, um, we
want people back on the footy fields, uh, you know,
out and doing things, you know, like a kind of typical childhood. And I spoke
to one expert who said, but why? That's such a kind of attitude
that everybody's good at sport. I mean, on a personal level,
my son hates football, He doesn't like,
he's not into social media either.
12:30 - 13:00 But like, there's this assumption
that childhood is the same as it was when you were young.
And that is that. So that doesn't mean that you might not,
you know, go out and enjoy a good walk. And we all know that's really good
for health as well. But this idea that it's better to be
in sport than it is to be online is a huge assumption that
everybody's sporty and liking that. And we all know that there are plenty
of kids in their youth who hated being part of sports
and team sports like that as well. So if you spoke anecdotally
to parents, especially parents, um, of kind of similar age
to my children,
13:00 - 13:30 the view is, oh, well,
at least it kicks a can down the road so that when our kids go, I want to have
a social media account, we can go, oh, you can't now because
the government doesn't let you. And also everyone's on
the same playing fields. You know, it's a level playing field. So that it's not that some people are
allowed to because their parents let them and others don't.
Legally, nobody's allowed to. So there's a kind of initial,
ah, well, great. It's one extra tool.
But then when you dig down and certainly I've spoken to plenty
of experts and I don't, I haven't found one, like, tech expert
who thinks it's a good thing.
13:30 - 14:00 So we've established
that there's a problem. The Australian government
is trying to provide a solution. This was the view
of one online safety educator. The big reason that I am pro-ban is because we're having
a conversation about it. And if the collective total
of world governments look at this as a positive move
and maybe they'll do it, and that pressure goes back
towards those companies or changes in legislation in the US that also
going to be a really positive thing.
14:00 - 14:30 So that's Kirra Pendergast. She heads up an online safety
education company in Australia. She speaks to thousands of students
every week. But Joe, tell us a bit more about
what the challenges are going to be in banning under 16s in this way. How practically difficult
is it going to be? Well, one thing I think
we should sort of bear in mind here is that you have to be 13 to be
on these social networks, but that doesn't stop
under-13s going on right now. So the issue is, you put in
a 16 age limit. How is that enforced?
14:30 - 15:00 Because at the moment, of course,
you go on to a TikTok or an Instagram and you just say, oh, I'm 18
or 19 when you're not, very clearly, and there's no checks
or balances there. It's just literally you put your date
of birth in and they say, you know, there you go. Ofcom, the
Office of Communications here in the UK, a survey they've done,
says that one in five children are lying about
their age to get on social networks. In fact, it's 22%.
So a bit more than one in five. So that goes to show
that the current restrictions of 13 just simply don't work.
15:00 - 15:30 So if you bring in a 16 or in France,
they've been trying really, really trying to get
a 15 age limit going on there. You have to then have
the law in place. And as Katy said,
the onus in Australia will be that the technology companies
have to be the ones that check. So how are they going to do that?
Well, they could use, for example, facial recognition
systems where you scan your face and it has a rough guess at your age, um, which may or may not be accurate.
What's really interesting in this
15:30 - 16:00 is that actually the ones
that I've used are really accurate. I was mucking around
on TikTok a few months ago, and there's a filter that you can use
to guess your age, and it got me exact
and it got my wife exact. But what's funny
is they're not using that. I don't think I want to use that!
But if we're playing around with this tech
as a filter that's made by some, you know, independent company
that might make some money from it, why isn't TikTok
already implementing that? And we do see that,
for example, in China with their ban that they've had on gaming and,
um, online use late at night.
16:00 - 16:30 It does make a difference,
but it's not being used elsewhere. So when you bring in a ban
on 16s or under, you have to then have something
like that in place. And also these teenagers are so savvy
when it comes to tech, surely they're just going to get a VPN
and get around it? Yeah we have, we did see that,
particularly in France with the ban there. Um, you can just
get a VPN and say you can pretend you're logging in from a different
country where there is no ban. So you can get
around the issues.
16:30 - 17:00 But then I think the thing to bear
in mind here is as well, though, is that if you add friction,
so let's say you bring in the ban, but you can circumvent it with VPN.
That is another step. That is another step that children
will have to take to get around it. So that will knock out
a certain number of people. It's whether or not you want 100%,
you know, um, success rate. Katy, what else are people
who are criticising this ban
saying? What are their other concerns? A lot of the experts I've spoken
to have kind of expressed a lot of disappointment that they, they're
like, we've talked about this.
17:00 - 17:30 We've, you know,
advised the government, and yet nothing seems
to have gone through on anything that we have suggested,
um, you know, and they've even pointed to the fact
that the UN also doesn't really say ban it. It's about the human rights is to
kind of educate and give access to. It's a really, really hard,
uh, law to implement, I think. I think, you know, and because
it's still so much a framework, there's so many, you know,
unanswered questions on this.
17:30 - 18:00 So it's very much a headline grabber.
But really getting down to the nitty gritty,
we'll see in the next year or so. So the argument against this
ban would be, hang on a minute, instead of blocking children
from going on to dangerous places, make those dangerous places
less dangerous. And of course, that is even more onus
on the technology companies to do that. But it can happen. It can be done.
If you look at Douyin in China, for example, which is
the Chinese equivalent of TikTok, which is owned by the same company,
ByteDance, they own both TikTok
around the entire world.
18:00 - 18:30 And then Douyin in China.
Douyin is exactly the same as TikTok, but it is very, very different in terms
of the content that is displayed to young people on that app.
It's all about science. It's all about maths.
And they have big campaigns about social well-being and
how to be a good citizen. There must be teens dancing?! Well, yeah. Oh, there'll be
there'll be a bit of that as well. But it's a very different experience. And I think some people
in the camp of, 'This is wrong, don't ban kids,
make technology companies do more', would look at Douyin
as an example of that being possible.
18:30 - 19:00 Well, let's have a look at how
the tech companies are responding. Because Elon Musk wrote
that this Australia ban was backdoor control of the internet. How are the other platforms, you
know, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, how are they reacting? They're all dead against it,
as you can imagine. The main argument
from them is that we need more time. We need to talk about this properly
because, I think Katy mentioned earlier, it is a bit of a rush. What's happening in Australia
is going through quite fast and the technology companies,
rightly or wrongly, are saying pause, slow down, let's look at
the science, let's look at the research,
19:00 - 19:30 let's look at the evidence that there
are harms out there for children. And also let's look at whether
or not the verification systems will actually work.
How is it actually going to work. We are seeing some
interesting developments of having technology companies have
youth-related apps. So you can have a kind
of you've seen, for example, on YouTube, you've got main YouTube
and then you've got kids YouTube, which is meant to be and is,
to be fair, a more moderated
and protected version. So it's that 'making
the swimming pool safer' for children. That's the kind of argument there.
19:30 - 20:00 And we might see that rolled out
more widely, where you have a kids' Instagram, a
kids' version of TikTok and the others. So Katy, headlines all
over the world. Lots of people are talking about it.
Uh, parents particularly. Do people in Australia think
this is going to succeed? I think a lot of people are questioning
whether it will really succeed, even those for
and against are thinking, like, they just don't really understand how they
could possibly it could possibly work.
20:00 - 20:30 So, uh, no, I think a lot
of people are wanting to, to wait and see exactly how this will play
out. And to pick up on Joe's point. So the tech companies,
the onus is on them to comply, but they will face penalties of
as much as 50 million AUD. So that's about £26 million,
$33 million USD. So if they don't comply, that's, you
know, the top penalty they can get. But there will be some exemptions. So if they're able to create low-risk
services, so more kid-friendly services,
20:30 - 21:00 then that might kind of help
their case. But again all of this is still,
the detail is yet to be defined. But certainly there's a kind
of a motivation there to try and make these platforms more,
uh, kid-friendly. Well, the whole world
is watching Australia on this one. Katy, thank you so much. Joe,
good to have you with us here. Thank you for watching. If you want
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