Latest news with #youthprotection
Washington Post
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Supreme Court allows law requiring age checks for porn sites
An ideologically divided Supreme Court on Friday affirmed a Texas law that requires users to verify their age to access porn sites, the first major legal test of statutes in two-dozen states aimed at protecting young people from lewd content that has become ever easier to view. In a 6-3 ruling, the justices rejected arguments from the porn industry that the law violates the First Amendment rights of adults to access explicit content online because it required users to share identifying information that could be sold, misused or hacked.
ABC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Australia's social media ban has been designed on the fly. Is it time to delay take-off?
You might've heard of policy on the run, but what about policy from the cockpit? It's something Australia's eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant appears to be contending with when it comes to the federal government's social media ban. Speaking to the National Press Club yesterday she said while confident it will be able to be implemented by December this year that "we may be building the plane a little bit as we're flying it". Inman Grant has provided the government with advice on its plan to ban under 16s from social media platforms, which she describes as "one of the most complex and novel pieces of legislation" they've ever had to handle. Her office will be responsible for producing regulatory guidelines once the ban is finalised. Put more bluntly, the government have handed her a proverbial sandwich in the form of a huge, unwieldy scheme that affects some of the community's most vulnerable, governs an ever-changing online landscape and requires facing off against some of the most powerful companies in the world. Oh and if that wasn't enough, imagine a big countdown clock, like in the TV show 24, with less than six months to go until the ban is meant to come into force. Easy! In November when the government put forward its proposal, YouTube was exempt under the banner of educational material and WhatsApp allowed under the carve-out for messaging services. Now eSafety is calling for YouTube to be banned too and says WhatsApp poses its own challenges — thanks to hosting channels and advertising — though it remains exempt for now. YouTube Kids could still be an option, but the commissioner says that's still being assessed. Either way, teenagers likely won't be too happy about that, as one of them put it in our comments when we reported on the initial exemption: "If I have to watch YouTube kids ima crash out" [sic.] The unofficial motto of the Albanese government has been slow and steady, with the prime minister repeatedly saying that if you want reform to happen you need to bring the community with you. As far as big changes go this is a doozy and according to the government's own research it has substantial community support. But when it comes to the specifics of how this ban is actually implemented there are a number of unanswered questions and community support is mixed when it comes to age checking methods. Aside from whether YouTube Kids will be allowed, Crikey's Cam Wilson reports that not all is well within the advisory group for the trial of the program. Tim Levy, managing director of children's safety technology company Qoria which put forward technology for the trial, has stepped down from the expert panel saying key questions and issues have not been addressed. Other experts have also questioned why key data from the trial is not being released publicly, though a spokesperson said it would be released once the full report is handed to the government in July. And that's not the only issue. The ABC revealed that the face scanning technology being trialled misidentified kids as young as 15 as being in their 20s and 30s. The software consultancy program running the trial said the system is far from perfect but does show promise however Lisa Given, professor of information sciences at RMIT University, told the ABC such errors in misidentification show the ban isn't viable. It would be remiss to not mention that neither the government nor the eSafety Commissioner are proposing that this ban will utilise just one type of age-detection tech nor that it will be 100 per cent foolproof. After all, they're up against teenagers who've been told they can't do something: one of the most determined and innovative groups on the planet (just ask 13-year-old Claudia who learned how to code to customise a Tumblr profile she wasn't allowed to have). With so many key factors seemingly up in the air, there are questions to be asked about why the deadline for the new rules to be implemented hasn't been shifted. Ask anyone who works in, around or with government, it's not exactly known for getting things done quickly. The opposition support a ban but say there are currently more questions than answers, which is not exactly what a government that wants to bring people along on reform would like to be hearing. Of course, the once-again-a-Coalition isn't really in a position to throw its weight around having just suffered one of its most humiliating defeats ever. But on the flip side, does that mean the government should power on full steam ahead? Such a comfortable majority gives it the flexibility to admit that sometimes things take a bit longer than expected. Politicians are loath to ever admit things haven't gone 100 per cent to plan, both to avoid criticism from their opponents and a media class fixated on anything that could be construed as a backflip or back down. It's not a great environment to actually develop and implement policy in, encouraging the worst, most stubborn instincts rather than encouraging flexibility, questioning or humility. When you add a looming deadline to that mix it's not a recipe for anyone's best work. But questions and disagreements over exactly how this ban will be implemented give Labor a chance to stretch that muscle and follow-through on Anthony Albanese's commitment last term to "change the way we do politics in this country." Inman Grant says she's confident everything will be ready to go by December, but with so many questions about how this ban will work it might be time for the government to clear a runway for a temporary landing.
Bloomberg
19-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Teen Social Media Ban Moves Closer in Australia After Tech Trial
Australia's world-first social media ban for under-16s moved closer to implementation after a key trial found that checking a user's age is technologically possible and can be integrated into existing services. The conclusions are a blow to Facebook-owner Meta Platforms Inc., TikTok and Snap Inc., which opposed the controversial legislation. Some platform operators had questioned whether a user's age could be reliably established using current technology.
CTV News
19-06-2025
- CTV News
Quebec sees a 5% increase in youth protection reports
Lesley Hill, the new national director of youth protection, DPJ, speaks at a news conference, Thursday, October 31, 2024 at the legislature in Quebec City. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press) Around 141,600 reports were made to Quebec's Youth Protection (DPJ) in 2024-2025, representing a five per cent increase compared to last year, according to statistics from the DPJ's annual report presented on Thursday. The reports concern 105,675 children in Quebec. 'That's a lot of children we're concerned about,' said Montérégie DPJ director Marie-Josée Audette. 'The number of reports continues to rise. (...) Nevertheless, the retention rate is decreasing. There are 35,264 children for whom the report has been retained. This represents less than a third of all reports received.' It should be noted that nearly 40 per cent of children taken into care by the DPJ remained in their family environment. At a news conference in Quebec City, Lesley Hill, who became the new provincial director of youth protection (DPJ) last fall, acknowledged that youth protection issues are systemic. She said she began her tour of Quebec's regions, which allowed her to make observations in the field. 'Unfortunately, terrible things are happening to children. I was also able to see the magnitude of the challenges and systemic issues we face,' she said. Hill was not surprised by this, as she is a former commissioner of the Special Commission on the Rights of Children and Youth Protection, which was formed in the wake of the Granby girl tragedy. 'We had already documented these systemic issues, but when you're in the field, you realize how complex it all is,' the director said. More than 10,000 teenagers in care Hill indicated in the report that a major transformation was needed to move toward more humane approaches in DPJ services. 'Many parents have told me how powerless they feel in a system that seems cold and austere to them. Many young people have told me about the importance of humanizing the system,' she said. 'Unfortunately, we are seeing that many children and families are being reported without having received any prior services, sometimes in extremely critical situations. And I always ask myself, if we had been able to provide them with better support, would we be in this situation?' For 2024-2025, there were also 10,095 adolescents who received services under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (LLJPA), representing a 7.4 per cent increase over last year. 'It's a small number, but this small number requires our full attention so that it doesn't become a very large number. Several mechanisms, support systems and approaches have been put in place to ensure that we take the necessary steps to keep this number very small,' said Audette. She spoke of 'very serious situations' that occurred this year and attracted the attention of youth protection directors, including affiliations with organized crime and car theft. 'The LLJPA clearly demonstrates that early intervention upstream prevents delinquency. The biggest predictors of delinquency are expulsion from school, isolation and neglect. The financial precariousness of families, the shortage of adequate housing, the psychological state of parents and children — these are all factors that need to be addressed. The DPJ cannot respond to all needs on its own,' argued Chaudière-Appalaches DPJ director Caroline Brown. Difficult budgetary context The fragile economic context means that the government faces difficult choices in managing its budget. In recent months, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government has imposed cuts of several million dollars on the health and social services network, as well as on school service centres and the education sector. 'As the DPJ, it is clearly a concern when we talk about cuts affecting children and young people. As we have said, the impact is significant, particularly in schools, in terms of decisions to homeschool, suspend or expel students. But I think what we are also trying to see with the ministries and with Santé Québec is how to implement important measures that should not be overlooked for the children of Quebec,' said Gaspésie--Îles-de-la-Madeleine DPJ director Michelle Frenette. The Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux (APTS) has denounced the fact that working conditions remain a cause for concern in several regions, highlighting that there are 'hundreds of vacant positions, significant administrative overload and a severe lack of resources.' 'Our members are exhausted and have been waiting too long for concrete action to lighten their workload and improve their working conditions,' said APTS president Robert Comeau in a news release. This has repercussions on the support offered to young people, particularly in cases of domestic violence or transition to adulthood. However, Comeau is hopeful that Hill's recent appointment will improve the situation. He hopes that her mandate will lead to more transparent and constructive communication between the field and decision-makers. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 19, 2025. The Canadian Press's health content is funded through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for editorial choices.
RNZ News
03-06-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
The powerful women behind a social media ban campaign
Founding member of B416, Malindi MacLean Photo: Sharon Brettkelly A year ago, a group of rich-lister mums met with other high fliers from all walks of life and political hues with one thing in mind. Many were strangers to each other but the thing that united them was the push to bring in a law to get under-16-year-olds off social media . Such is the power of the group B416 and their cause that politicians from all corners came along to their launch last month, including ACT's David Seymour - who doesn't support a social media ban. It took place just days after National's Catherine Wedd put forward her Social Media Age-Restricted Users Bill, a private members bill. Since the launch, the move has faced criticism of moral panic, overreach and that a ban will risk the lives of vulnerable young people. But B416, which is co-chaired by entrepreneur Cecilia Robinson and includes multi-millionaire toy maker Anna Mowbray, says it is time to listen to parents who want to protect their children from social media harm. Founding member Malindi MacLean, who heads Outward Bound, says a lot of the criticism is from people who are not parents. "It's really important to keep [in mind] the lived experience of parents. They are day in, day out experiencing the impact of social media addiction, or addictive behaviours of their children. "A parent who has just been dealing with their teenager who is self harming or has sextortion or dealing with cyber bullying ... it's not something that you can argue with." The Social Media Age-Restricted Users Bill is in the biscuit tin at Parliament, which means it may never see the light of day before the next election. Photo: RNZ Pacific/ Koroi Hawkins Those arguing against a potential law that would force social media giants to use age verification measures on under-16s include retired district court judge David Harvey; youth mental health activist Jazz Thornton, Victoria University media lecturer Alex Beattie and the online counselling service Youthline. Judge Harvey says the proposed bill is flawed and could get the government in trouble with freedom of expression laws. There's also a risk that it will exclude the likes of YouTube, he says. Thornton believes a blanket ban will cause harm to the most vulnerable children and even lead to deaths; while Beattie argues social media can be a good communication tool for children and parents, and is not an addiction like smoking. MacLean says she welcomes the debate but her group wants progress. Hence the extensive billboard and social media campaign. She says the time and resources put into the campaign would be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. But the influential group has tapped into many communities for contributions and support. "That just shows the appetite for change. The other thing is we've had a lot of support from organisations pro bono because most of them are human beings who also understand the issues." Wedd's private members bill is in the biscuit tin at Parliament, which means it may never see the light of day before the next election. That's not good enough for B416, which wants to see a policy by the end of the year, following Australia's world first law and trials of the age-verification technology already underway. Tech expert Danu Abeysuriya of digital firm Rush tells The Detail how the technology could work and why it is important for New Zealand to follow Australia and others. "We are a small nation and we don't represent a lot of revenue for large tech companies like Google, Facebook or X or Twitter. They focus on social media and to those companies our ad revenue is relatively small. CEO of digital firm Rush, Danu Abeysuriya Photo: Sharon Brettkelly "Whatever we have to do we should still attempt to be practical otherwise we risk being alienated from those platforms. The balancing act is aligning what we do with what the rest of the world does." Abeysuriya says there are a number of age verification options but one of the simplest would be a digital token that could be bought from the Warehouse or the local petrol station or even the child's school. Other technology could be used to put children off using social media, such as slowing down internet traffic. In this case the government would mandate Internet Service Providers such as One NZ to run traffic at half-speed in specific time periods. "It creates a bit of friction," says Abeysuriya. "If the TikTok video loads really slowly the kids might not watch the TikTok video, they might do something else like read a book." He says the solutions are ideas and nothing will be perfect. "The bravery to move is the thing that needs to happen here." Check out how to listen to and fol low The Detail here . You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter .
