Australia begins enforcing world-first teen social media ban • Hacker News Board

Re: Australia begins enforcing world-first teen social media ban

#41

Post by rkagerer » Wed, Dec 10, 2025, 5:46 AM UTC

bigfatkitten wrote: post #24

deminature wrote: post #16

As an Australian experiencing this first hand and considerably older than 16, absolutely nothing has changed. It seems like all the social networks are doing age estimation of accounts and only taking action on those that fail and are detected as underage. The change is otherwise completely invisible if you're an adult user. Obviously I'm only a sample size of 1, but I've not heard of any other adults being adversely…

Nothing has changed for my 15 year old either. It’s business as usual today for her. She says only one of her friends has been challenged by a platform so far, and that was by Snapchat. That friend got another 14 year old friend to pass the facial age detection check on her behalf.

> pass the facial age detection

Are you kidding me? So the answer is let's let some random vendors used by said corporation scan her face? This feels like using DNA sequencing to confirm you're tall enough to ride the rollercoaster.

Re: Australia begins enforcing world-first teen social media ban

#42

Post by cal_dent » Wed, Dec 10, 2025, 5:50 AM UTC

I don't necessarily think this as it is will "work" but I'm all for someone at least trying to do something. Yes, there are a bunch of externalities and potential second order effects that don't sit well with me but, at this stage, I'd rather some attempt at trying to regulate than throwing up hands and saying its all too hard.

Also, dont buy the this is the slippery slope to more authoritarianism etc. as an argument against it because if they're going to go down that path they would anyway whether they did this or not frankly

Anyway, it might not work 100% of the time, hell maybe even <10% but any additional friction to knock this kind of social media from being so ubiquitous is a small victory in my eyes

Re: Australia begins enforcing world-first teen social media ban

#43

Post by vintermann » Wed, Dec 10, 2025, 6:14 AM UTC

deminature wrote: post #16

As an Australian experiencing this first hand and considerably older than 16, absolutely nothing has changed. It seems like all the social networks are doing age estimation of accounts and only taking action on those that fail and are detected as underage. The change is otherwise completely invisible if you're an adult user. Obviously I'm only a sample size of 1, but I've not heard of any other adults being adversely…

Apropos social media and age, I have some relatives with the last name of Aam. (Åm or Aam is an old farm in the Volda area of Sunnmøre, Norway).

If you try searching them in Facebook, you get a message telling you your search has been stopped and you should seek help you sicko, searching for... "Age abuse material" maybe? I don't know why it freaks out on those three letters, but it does.

This was in the news a year ago, and they still haven't changed it. Go and try if you want.

So allow me to doubt that the implementation is going to be smooth. For you maybe. If you instead end up in some algorithmic Kafka nightmare, don't count on your social media friends to notice.

Re: Australia begins enforcing world-first teen social media ban

#44

Post by eviks » Wed, Dec 10, 2025, 6:16 AM UTC

cal_dent wrote: post #42

I don't necessarily think this as it is will "work" but I'm all for someone at least trying to do something. Yes, there are a bunch of externalities and potential second order effects that don't sit well with me but, at this stage, I'd rather some attempt at trying to regulate than throwing up hands and saying its all too hard. Also, dont buy the this is the slippery slope to more authoritarianism etc. as an argument…

If you just want to try something that doesn't work, why not legislate touching grass every morning without all the downsides of a dumb blanket ban?

Re: Australia begins enforcing world-first teen social media ban

#45

Post by eviks » Wed, Dec 10, 2025, 6:18 AM UTC

bigfatkitten wrote: post #24

deminature wrote: post #16

As an Australian experiencing this first hand and considerably older than 16, absolutely nothing has changed. It seems like all the social networks are doing age estimation of accounts and only taking action on those that fail and are detected as underage. The change is otherwise completely invisible if you're an adult user. Obviously I'm only a sample size of 1, but I've not heard of any other adults being adversely…

Nothing has changed for my 15 year old either. It’s business as usual today for her. She says only one of her friends has been challenged by a platform so far, and that was by Snapchat. That friend got another 14 year old friend to pass the facial age detection check on her behalf.

Interesting, was she unable to pass the test just didn't even risk it, thinking the algo is good and can reliably detect reality?

Re: Australia begins enforcing world-first teen social media ban

#46

Post by tamimio » Wed, Dec 10, 2025, 6:26 AM UTC

falaki wrote: post #17

I really hope other nations, including the United States, copy this. Australia proved that it is possible. I think the results will be so overwhelmingly positive that others will take notice. Good job Australia! Reading "Anxious Generation" is a must for all parents in this day and age.

I hope it won’t, because the whole thing is just a medium to enable digital ID using fears as a justification, in this time it’s kids.

The whole ‘anxious generation’ isn’t because of social media, it’s because the new generations are hopeless and helpless (incl genz and millennials too), wherever you look in any domain, it’s bleak times waiting ahead for them, boomers fucked them up severely and now want to suppress them with laws and bills and control them because they know for a fact something will snap at this current rate.

Re: Australia begins enforcing world-first teen social media ban

#47

Post by bigfatkitten » Wed, Dec 10, 2025, 7:08 AM UTC

rkagerer wrote: post #41

bigfatkitten wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nothing has changed for my 15 year old either. It’s business as usual today for her. She says only one of her friends has been challenged by a platform so far, and that was by Snapchat. That friend got another 14 year old friend to pass the facial age detection check on her behalf.

> pass the facial age detection Are you kidding me? So the answer is let's let some random vendors used by said corporation scan her face ? This feels like using DNA sequencing to confirm you're tall enough to ride the rollercoaster.

It’s just as reliable as you’d expect from a system that relies on shitty cellphone camera pics.

They’re trying to guess the age of someone who could pass for 11 or for 22, and who with careful use of makeup could push that figure in either direction.

Re: Australia begins enforcing world-first teen social media ban

#48

Post by cal_dent » Wed, Dec 10, 2025, 7:54 AM UTC

eviks wrote: post #44

cal_dent wrote: post #42

I don't necessarily think this as it is will "work" but I'm all for someone at least trying to do something. Yes, there are a bunch of externalities and potential second order effects that don't sit well with me but, at this stage, I'd rather some attempt at trying to regulate than throwing up hands and saying its all too hard. Also, dont buy the this is the slippery slope to more authoritarianism etc. as an argument…

If you just want to try something that doesn't work, why not legislate touching grass every morning without all the downsides of a dumb blanket ban?

Yes, excellent idea. Let’s do that too

Re: Australia begins enforcing world-first teen social media ban

#49

Post by eviks » Wed, Dec 10, 2025, 7:56 AM UTC

cal_dent wrote: post #48

eviks wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you just want to try something that doesn't work, why not legislate touching grass every morning without all the downsides of a dumb blanket ban?

Yes, excellent idea. Let’s do that too

No, not too, but instead. What's your argument for doing dumb harmful stuff instead of dumb harmless stuff?

Re: Australia begins enforcing world-first teen social media ban

#50

Post by euroderf » Wed, Dec 10, 2025, 7:57 AM UTC

hallole wrote: post #15

N_Lens wrote: post #8

Quite a decisive move by the Australian government. I don't know if it's a move in the right direction or not but the research clearly shows that around the time social media became mainstream, teens' and preteens' mental health took a nosedive (Especially girls).

Hugely decisive! Feels more like a policy for idyllic hypotheticals. "Suppose we could ban social media..." well, hey, they actually did it. I'm very interested to see how their socializing evolves in response to such a shock. Do the social behaviors of pre-internet times re-emerge? "Third spaces" reappear overnight? We shall see!

I know! Let's hang out a THE MALL!

The Seventies are BACK!