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Cyber bullying

This Month

Billions of people are signed up for Facebook, but how many still need it?

Social media bosses face jail if they fail to stop revenge porn

Britain is introducing tough new online safety laws that could see social media bosses punished for allowing deep fakes and revenge porn to be shared.

  • Charles Hymas
Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones in Parliament House on Wednesday.

Tech giants in firing line to pay for swath of new online laws

The Albanese government is introducing new laws to curb the harms caused by social media giants, and is also looking at how to make them pay for it.

  • Ronald Mizen

July

The children of parents who spend a lot of time on their own phones are found to spend 40 minutes more on their phones.

I gave up my phone as an example to my teenagers – it was disastrous

Before you ban your kids from using smartphones, ask yourself why.

  • Bethan Ryder

‘I feel helpless’: techies are banning their kids from social media

The professionals who understand most how social media and other tech platforms work are keeping their own children away from them for as long as possible.

  • Paul Smith

June

Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton have butted heads on climate targets.

Social media ban on kids faces big technical hurdles: experts

Australia has bipartisan support for a 16-year-old limit for using social media, as Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton argued about who was first to demand it.

  • Paul Smith
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April

X owner Elon Musk has been in an escalating war of words with Australian politicians and regulators.

Corporate directors warned over Musk behaviour

AFP boss Reece Kershaw says better corporate standards are needed to enable co-operation between social media giants and law enforcement.

  • Tom McIlroy

February

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland says X could face huge fines when new laws are introduced this year.

X faces ‘big trouble’, fines if it does not change, warns Rowland

“There is going to be someone who turns around and says ‘how did governments allow this to happen?’ We’re not going to be that government”

  • Ronald Mizen

April 2023

Experts urge schools and parents to take a non-judgmental approach to children’s online viewing.

What does it mean to be a boy online in 2023

What lessons are young men learning from YouTube, TikTok and influencers like Andrew Tate?

  • Henry Mance

October 2022

Musk to face ad boycott if he brings back Trump

Elon Musk’s efforts to loosen Twitter’s moderation rules could risk the wrath of advertisers who provide most of Twitter’s $US5 billion revenue.

  • Matthew Field and Nick Allen
A dog groomer unsuccessfully sued for defamation.

Bark worse than bite in libel case

A dog groomer’s defamation claim over comments on social media has been thrown out due to there being no “serious harm” to her reputation.

  • Michael Pelly

July 2022

Ray-Ban Stories

How to use Facebook’s Ray-Ban Stories sunglasses without getting arrested

Even Meta has acknowledged that its creepy Ray-Ban Stories glasses have human rights problems. We’ve figured out a way to eliminate at least one of those.

  • John Davidson

May 2022

Elon Musk.

Elon Musk’s free speech pledge for Twitter will backfire: experts

Insisting that users be authenticated is an oversimple response to the complex problem of cyberbullying on Twitter, they say

  • John Davidson

April 2022

 Elon Musk

Twitter buyout could be ‘terrific’ for business: Sims

But other experts warn it could be bad for public discourse, and that improvement at Twitter will be difficult to pull off.

  • John Davidson, Tess Bennett and Yolanda Redrup

February 2022

Facebook.

‘Operating in the dark’: Facebook whistleblower warns of election risk

Former data scientist Frances Haugen tells a parliamentary inquiry that Facebook is underinvesting in safety in Australia.

  • Andrew Tillett

December 2021

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce will tell US lawmakers that Mark Zuckerberg is “not above democracy”.

Joyce flies out to UK and US, sights set on Zuckerberg

The Deputy Prime Minister says he is determined to work with US congressional leaders to curb Mark Zuckerberg’s power, saying the Facebook CEO is “not above democracy”.

  • Jacob Greber
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Tech companies will have to testify at the government’s inquiry into how toxic content is shared on social media platforms.

Inquiry should regulate tech algorithms, end ‘whack-a-mole’

The enabling architecture of social media platforms is what governments ought to be targetting, rather than individual wrongdoers.

  • Miranda Ward

Why politicians are really changing troll laws

Online defamation laws are changing because the people running the country are being attacked.

  • Aaron Patrick

October 2021

Facebook logo

Kids will need a note from parents to use Facebook

The Morrison government has announced new laws that would force social media companies to obtain parental consent before allowing children onto their platforms, or face harsh punishment.

  • John Davidson
Faceook Australia and NZ’s director of public policy Mia Garlick.

Facebook may identify trolls in defamation cases

Facebook could reveal the identity of people who post defamatory material on its platform if asked by someone suing for defamation or by a court.

  • Miranda Ward
Urban Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher claims the spreadsheet relating to car park approvals is a cabinet document.

Coalition monitoring COVID-19 vaccine misinformation

US President Joe Biden said in July that social media platforms were “killing people” by spreading lies about vaccines.

  • Tom McIlroy

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/cyber-bullying-1m12