Last week, we brought you troubling news from Down Under, where in the far-off land of Australia, an unfortunate precedent is coming to pass: the banning of "social media" (which has since been legally defined) for under 16s. This revolutionary concept is quickly catching on and is apparently "already on the table" for you poms in the UK; sorry about that. And while it may already be too late for unfortunate Aussie teens, we are at least happy to confirm that the ban will not impact their ability to play violent, debaucherous PlayStation games to their heart's content, an issue of vital import to this young-at-heart Aussie scribe.
Thankfully, Australia's little grommets will still be allowed access to the PlayStation Network, as the proposed ban will not apply to "online video games" - despite the PSN's potentially scary messaging capabilities. Services like TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, Instagram and X will be prohibited, but bizarrely, YouTube is allowed due to its educational benefits.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's Labor government introduced the bill yesterday, which enjoys popular support from both major parties and is expected to pass. Albo and the politicians supporting him cite spurious evidence and are flying in the face of the recommendations of the Australian Human Rights Commission, which has "serious reservations". The Commission fears that these proposed laws would "significantly interfere with the rights of children and young people".
There are concerns the move will require all Australians to submit to age and identity verifications to determine who is actually underage, which does seem just a tad authoritarian. The cherry on top? If you have any concerns of your own, the Albanese government has allowed just 24 hours for submissions, starting yesterday!