NewsBite

Child safety

January

The family safety and location-sharing Life360 app is often used by parents to monitor their child’s whereabouts.

Should you track your kids through their phones?

The combination of new technology and the age-old devotion to keep your children safe is taking “helicopter parenting” to a whole new level.

Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg will stop employing fact-checkers across Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp.

Federal election warning after Meta scraps fact-checking

The Facebook and Instagram change will begin in the US but is expected to go global – including in Australia, where Labor is cracking down on online safety.

December 2024

People walking past a row of ATMs belonging to the four big banks.

Banks, insurers told to work harder to prevent financial abuse

A committee chaired by Labor senator Deborah O’Neill has tabled 61 recommendations to reduce the insidious practice.

November 2024

The world-first law attracted international headlines.

‘Black Friday sale on VPNs’: Social media ban faces early obstacles

Big tech has 12 months to comply with new laws that block children under 16 from accessing platforms, setting up Australia as a high-profile test case for the globe.

X owner Elon Musk has criticised the government’s social media plan.

‘Punitive regime’: X warns social media ban won’t work

Elon Musk’s social media platform says the government’s moves to stop under-16s using social media is likely unlawful and technological ineffective.

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President-elect Donald Trump walks with Elon Musk before the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket.

Elon Musk slams Albanese’s social media ban

The owner of X had a swing at the Australian government’s prohibition for children under 16 as he prepares to take a role in the Trump administration.

Michelle Rowland says social platforms will have a “digital duty of care”.

Government to pursue tech giants for social harm

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland says Canberra will introduce a “digital duty of care” that could punish platforms for causing systemic trauma.

Putting mobile phones “away for the day” will encourage face-to-face social interactions, Grace Grace said.

Social media ban doesn’t trust parents to raise their kids

If Canberra truly wanted to support families, it would invest in digital literacy rather than wielding a sledgehammer.

September 2024

‘Fundamental strategic error’ in plan to ban teens from social media

Tech industry leaders say age restrictions on social media are urgently needed, but that the government is letting Meta and Snapchat skirt responsibility.

August 2023

By following the money AUSTRAC is identifying child abuse material.

How AUSTRAC is saving kids from sexual abuse

The financial enforcer is ensuring banks report the kind of transactions that give away the activities of predators.

May 2022

Matt Berriman

Call to end to ‘creepy’ Google emails to protect kids

A mental health group says Google’s “creepy” practice of emailing children on their 13th birthday to tell them they are old enough to remove adult supervision should be reviewed.

June 2021

Australias eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant

New tools show companies how to avoid building bad tech

Australia’s eSafety Commission has released a world-first set of online tools to teach start-ups how to build products that are safe by design.

November 2020

Improving the ability of community members, including other young people, to detect and respond to people at risk of self-harm in others is critical.

More than a third of young people share distress prior to suicide

A new study uncovers the gaps in services which, if closed, could assist in preventing youth suicide.

May 2020

A boy and his mother leave a COVID-19 testing unit in Adygea, Russia.

What we know about the COVID-related syndrome affecting children

Children in Europe, Britain and now the United States are being hospitalised for this mysterious illness, which can harm kids' hearts and other organs, often requiring intensive care.

August 2019

Chris Hulls CEO of Life360 said other US start-up founders are looking to see how ASX investors value his company.

Silicon Valley star asks ASX investors to embrace growth before profit

Shares in family tracking smartphone app Life360 are down since its landmark local IPO, but its founder says investors are buying into its big growth potential.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/child-safety-hr8