Australia plans social media ban for under-16s
In a world first, Australia is planning to introduce legislation banning social media access for children under 16.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the proposal, citing concerns over online safety and the mental health impacts of social media on young people.
The law, which is set to be introduced in parliament next week, would require social media platforms to verify user ages and block under-16s, even with parental consent. Enforcement would fall to Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, with no penalties for individual users.
Despite the recent US election result, the plan is still progressing and the law, if passed, would take effect in 12 months and be reviewed thereafter.
Read more here.
How the US election result may shape the future of social media
With Donald Trump’s return to the White House, significant changes may come for social media regulations in America and beyond. Trump has criticised Meta in the past, yet his pro-business stance may ease AI regulations, which could benefit the company’s tech ambitions.
Elon Musk’s platform X stands to gain the most immediate boost, with Trump and Musk sharing mutual support, potentially drawing back advertisers. TikTok could find reprieve under Trump’s promise to shield it from US bans, although regulatory challenges remain.
Other platforms like Snapchat and LinkedIn may also benefit from relaxed policies favouring tech expansion.
Read more here.
YouTube introduces brand partnerships for Shorts
YouTube is expanding monetisation options for Shorts creators by letting them initiate brand partnership requests. This new feature allows creators with more than 4,000 subscribers to pitch their brand-related Shorts directly to advertisers through YouTube Studio, facilitating promotional collaborations.
Brands who accept can view performance data and use the content in ads, but creators won’t earn directly from ad placements.
Additionally, YouTube has enhanced Data Stories, providing more detailed performance metrics for the first 24 hours after posting, and is testing a ‘Most Relevant’ filter for comments to encourage creator-viewer engagement.
Read more here.
Instagram expands boosting to include more post types
Instagram has broadened its post-boosting features, enabling more types of organic posts, including those with GIFs and stickers, to be eligible for boosting.
Previously, copyright limitations restricted boosting options, but now, many posts with embedded GIFs, stickers, or certain music elements are eligible. This adds an interesting breadth of content for paid social managers to explore.
Users with Professional Accounts can maximise engagement by revisiting previous top performing posts, though some music restrictions still apply, and allowing substitution with the new boost-eligible tracks instead, rather than the previously restricted music.
Read more here.
X expands Grok AI chatbot with a free version coming soon
X is expanding access to its Grok AI chatbot by introducing a free, limited-use version for non-paying users. This shift aims to increase Grok’s reach beyond the platform’s small X Premium base, allowing more users to experiment with AI-driven responses and image generation.
Broader access could also help parent company X Corp and its subsidiary, xAI, gain investment and showcase potential. Elon Musk’s involvement with both ventures and recent national security concerns over xAI’s partnerships may introduce regulatory complications as these projects evolve under a Trump administration.
Read more here.