Social Media
Australia’s under-16 social ban lands unevenly
Some kids woke up yesterday to find TikTok had quietly evicted them. Meanwhile, others logged in like any normal Wednesday, untouched by Australia’s new under-16 ban.
Communications Minister Anika Wells said TikTok had already deactivated more than 200,000 accounts linked to users believed to be under 16. However, according to Bronte Gossling in The Sydney Morning Herald, plenty of teens are still on the app, openly joking about dodging the age checks.
Meanwhile…
The Australian Financial Review’s Sam Buckingham-Jones writes that the ban barely had time to settle before teenagers began side-stepping it.
Within hours of the ban landing, three alternative platforms not covered by the law – Lemon8, Yope, and Coverstar – shot straight to the top of Apple’s App Store.
And…
After a year spent digging into the policy, the brilliant Cam Wilson at Crikey has written a wrap of everything he’s learned.
It’s worth a read, given that much of his reporting has zeroed in on the flaws, contradictions, and likely unintended consequences in what is, at its core, an untested and imperfect policy.
US weighs new social media disclosure rule for travellers
The Australian’s Joseph de Avila and Michelle Hackman report the US is floating a plan that would force visitors from visa waiver countries, including Australia, to hand over five years of social media history before stepping off the plane.
If approved, the rule would apply to citizens from 42 nations in the programme, from Japan to France to the UK.
AI
Trump surprises tech world with green light for Nvidia in China
Donald Trump has jolted the US-China tech standoff by allowing Nvidia to sell its H200 AI chips into China, reversing years of tightening export controls.
As Jessica Sier writes in The Australian Financial Review, the announcement dropped on his social platform and immediately reopened a market the company had effectively lost.
Online
YouTube TV prepares to split its bundle into targeted plans
Deadline’s Dade Hayes reports YouTube TV is planning a shake-up of its streaming bundle, rolling out cheaper, mix-and-match programming packages early next year.
Dubbed YouTube TV Plans, the offering will span 10 themed bundles that can be stacked.
Entertainment
Neighbours faces its second farewell
The BBC’s Simon Atkinson and Tiffanie Turnbull have written about tonight’s Neighbours finale.
The last episode goes to air in Australia and the UK today, closing the book on one of the country’s most recognisable exports after yet another dramatic plot twist in its off-screen life.
Vale
Shopaholic author Sophie Kinsella dies
British novelist Sophie Kinsella, best known for the Shopaholic series, has died at 55 after a battle with brain cancer.
Her family confirmed the news, sharing that she had been undergoing treatment for glioblastoma over the past year.