11-07-2025
BTN Newsbreak 11/07/2025
AGE VERIFICATION
There's been a lot of talk about age verification for the teen social media ban. But soon, every Aussie, no matter how old they are, will have to confirm their age to use the internet. So, how will this go down? Well, from the 27th of December, everyone who goes online to look something up or use social media will have to verify their age. This new regulation would ensure those under 18 years of age won't be able to see adult content and high-impact violence when surfing the web. It's not just the inconvenience; some experts reckon these new moves could be a risk to Australians' privacy. Tech platforms will be able to choose how they verify ages, like face scanning or photo ID. If the companies don't follow the new rules, they'll face fines of almost $50 million per breach.
NAIDOC WEEK CELEBRATIONS
Hundreds of people gathered in the Northern Territory today to celebrate NAIDOC week. In Alice Springs, locals of all ages marched for this year's NAIDOC theme 'Strength, Vision and Legacy.' With a focus on the next generation. Celebrations included a flag raising, smoking ceremonies, wood carving, and kids' crafts. Further north, hundreds more marched through Darwin city and were also treated to performances from local Indigenous artists.
FISHING INFLUENCER
The New South Wales Government has teamed up with a TikTok creator to get more young Aussies to take up fishing! Fishing has got a lot of Aussie teenagers hooked. Recently, a bunch of them met up in Sydney for a chance to meet Peter Phung, better known as Shrooms. For the last 5 years, he's been sharing fishing videos, a genre that's taking off in Australia. There's even a name for this online community, FishTok. The New South Wales Government is keen to make the most of the trend and partnered with Shrooms for this first-of-its-kind FishTok meetup, to expand their Get Hooked program.
MOO DENGS BIRTHDAY
To Thailand, for Moo Deng's first birthday! Fans of the famous pygmy hippo travelled from all over the world, sporting some very appropriate celebratory attire. Happy birthday you moist potato!
DINO DISCOVERY
Over to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science in America, which is known for its dinosaur displays. Little did the museum know, they had a dinosaur fossil hiding underneath their carpark this whole time! They stumbled upon the fossil while doing some drilling for a different project and it's now on display in the museum.
PADDLE PUPS
In Australia, these pooches have been given a very cool job. The Paddle Pups, yes that's actually what they're called, are specially trained to sniff out platypuses in the wild, working alongside scientists at Victoria's Healesville Sanctuary to help with their conservation efforts.
