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How Australia became the testing ground for a social media ban for young people

From nascent policy idea in one state to passing federal parliament in just days, it’s been a whirlwind journey for the world-first legislation that will take effect from 10 DecemberIn late 2023, the South Australian premier’s wife put down a book she had been reading. It was Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation.“[She] said to me […]

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A robot walks into a bar: can a Melbourne researcher get AI to do comedy?

Machines can be funny when they mistakenly bump into things – but standup is a tough gig even for humansRobots can make humans laugh – mostly when they fall over – but a new research project is looking at whether robots using AI could ever be genuinely funny.If you ask ChatGPT for a funny joke,

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‘Everyone will miss the socialising – but it’s also a relief’: five young teens on Australia’s social media ban

As the under-16s social media ban looms, Guardian Australia speaks to five 13 to 15-year-olds about what they will miss, and what government should be doing insteadAustralia’s world-first social media ban for under-16s will begin in just a few days. Malaysia, Denmark and Norway are to follow suit and the European Union last week passed

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Teens hoping to get around Australia’s social media ban are rushing to smaller apps. Where are they going?

As Meta begins deleting accounts and the deadline looms, children have already begun to flock to platforms not included in the banned list, like Coverstar, Lemon8, Yope and RednoteAustralia social media ban explained: everything you need to knowGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAs Australia prepares to block under-16s from accessing

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Thirsty work: how the rise of massive datacentres strains Australia’s drinking water supply

The demand for use in cooling in Sydney alone is expected to exceed the volume of Canberra’s total drinking water within the next decadeSign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereAs Australia rides the AI boom with dozens of new investments in datacentres in Sydney and Melbourne, experts are

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YouTube says it will comply with Australia’s under-16s social media ban, with Lemon8 to also restrict access

Australia’s under-16s social media ban might take weeks to work but all platforms are on notice, government saysFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastYouTube will comply with the federal government’s under-16s social media ban, but its parent company Google has warned the laws

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‘Enable workers’ talents’: no need for AI legislation in Australia, Labor says

Roadmap focuses on technology’s ‘economic benefits’ and says existing laws will cover the fast-growing new technologyFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Albanese government has decided against legislation to manage artificial intelligence, with a new national roadmap emphasising Labor’s focus on the technology’s

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Datacentres demand huge amounts of electricity. Could they derail Australia’s net zero ambitions?

Banks of servers operating 24/7 generate massive amounts of heat, requiring power to run and cool themSign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereDatacentre power demand in Australia could triple in five years and is forecast to exceed by 2030 the energy used by electric vehicles.Datacentres now draw about

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Instagram’s age-verification identified a moustachioed adult as over 16 – but how did it go with a 13-year-old?

Meta platform allows users under 16 in Australia to change their date of birth – but only after clearing a ‘video selfie’ or providing government ID Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Instagram’s process for determining whether a user is over

Instagram’s age-verification identified a moustachioed adult as over 16 – but how did it go with a 13-year-old? Read More »