In Australia, social media ban for kids under 16 begins
Australia began its social media ban for children under the age of 16 on Wednesday, becoming the first country to do so.
Platforms will be required to verify users’ age through official documents or artificial intelligence age estimation systems and take steps to block the existing accounts of those underage. The law, passed a year ago, targets apps including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook and X, which could face up to $33 million in fines if they don’t comply.
Rather than punishing teenagers or their parents for being on the app, the law aims to hold tech companies responsible for allowing these underage users on their platforms. However, children could use virtual private networks, or VPNs, to work around the law by making it appear that they are in a different country.
Following the ban, two teenagers, with the support of an advocacy group, challenged the law for a violation of their right to political expression. Other teens have also echoed concerns about free speech and privacy given that users will have to share sensitive documents, though platforms are required to delete the data after verifying their age.
The AI methods used for age verification were tested in a study funded by the Australian government last year, which confirmed that it does not compromise privacy.
“This is a hugely important test case,” Michael Posner, director of the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, told CNN. “If it succeeds, then I think a number of states, a number of governments are going to say, ‘Wow, look what they did in Australia.’”
Countries like Denmark and Malaysia are discussing the implementation of similar bans, and U.S. politicians have also advocated for more restrictions around social media.
In Argentina, golden retrievers flood Buenos Aires park
Over two thousand golden retrievers filled a park in Buenos Aires on Monday in an attempt to set the world record for largest gathering of the breed in a single place.
The 2,397 dogs were brought to Bosques de Palermo in the country’s capital, organized by Fausto Duperre, a 28-year-old Argentine influencer known for his golden retriever content. Duperre wrote detailed instructions in an Instagram post for participants, encouraging them to bring their own waste bags, keep their dogs on leashes and ensure they have collars with identification.
“I was afraid I would lose her, I was afraid she would fight, I was afraid another dog would attack her,” Elena Deleo, who attended the event with her dog, told the Associated Press. “But no, they’re all affectionate, all gentle — it’s just a very lovely experience.”
Golden retrievers were brought dressed in various costumes, including Santa hats and sports jerseys, while owners shared stories of how their dogs provide them comfort, even delving in to how the breed is capable of sniffing out low blood sugar and cancer.
Duperre claimed in a post that the group achieved its goal of breaking the world record, beating Vancouver’s event last year, which brought together 1,685 golden retrievers.
“We’re champions of the world,” Duperre wrote. “I can’t explain my happiness or my emotion, we did it.”
In Italy, fugitive migrant found hiding in a nativity display
A man who had been running from the police was captured on Saturday after a mayor found him hiding in a nativity display in the southern town of Galatone.
Mayor Flavio Filoni discovered the 38-year-old Ghanaian migrant standing in a life-size Christmas nativity scene set up at a public square, pretending to be a statue. The unnamed man went missing after escaping a nearly 10-month prison sentence for assault in Bologna.
“I first thought it was a new figure someone had placed there, but then he moved,” Filoni told The Times. “I believe the man wanted to use the nativity scene as a hiding place. I took a photo and asked him if he was ok, and he replied he wanted to sleep there.”
Filoni said he called the police on the man who was “in a state of difficulty” and ran to a nearby church after he was spotted. He was then arrested and moved to a prison near the city of Lecce to finish his sentence.
The incident follows a trend of declining migration to Italy by North African refugees, which Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described as a goal of hers when she took office in 2022.
Contact Eva Mundo at [email protected].