The evidence from Australia is clear, says Dr Reuben Kirkham, Director of the Free Speech Union of Australia: Sir Keir Starmer's social media 'ban' is doomed to fail. And it targets the wrong things anyway.
The post Keir Starmer’s Doomed Social Media ‘Ban’ appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
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Activists say blanket ban could prevent teenagers from finding peers and role models with similar conditions
Disability activists have said banning under-16s from social media risks cutting off a “lifeline for friendship” for disabled children and could push them into social isolation by preventing them from making connections online.
Charities and high-profile figures in disability advocacy said they were concerned that a blanket ban on social media would disproportionately affect teenagers who may not be able to meet people easily in real life or find peers with similar conditions.
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© Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian
© Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian
© Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian
Ex-defence secretary John Healey and ex-defence minister Al Carns have given resignation statements to MPs
Speaking to reporters at the G7, Keir Starmer also defended the defence investment plan (DIP) draft that led to John Healey’s resignation as defence secretary last week. Starmer confirmed that Dan Jarvis, the new defence secretary, is getting some input before the publication of the DIP in its final version.
Starmer said:
The position on investment in defence is firstly that we increased last year defence spending from 2.3% to 2.6%, that’s the biggest increase since the 1980s, and that means £270bn will be spent this parliament on defence.
On top of that [the] defence investment plan which obviously gives us capability for the future. We will put even more money in relation to that. I’ve been really clear that’s required difficult decisions, I have taken the decision to reallocate money from other departments.
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© Photograph: PA
© Photograph: PA
© Photograph: PA
Images of Merlin, a two-year-old duck, parading on the streets of Mexico City celebrated by fans on social media
Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez may have scored the goals, but a duck stole the show.
As Mexico celebrated its World Cup-opening victory over South Africa on Thursday, Merlin, a two-year-old duck dressed in the national team’s colors, became an unlikely internet sensation and the tournament’s first unofficial mascot.
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© Photograph: Marco Ugarte/AP
© Photograph: Marco Ugarte/AP
© Photograph: Marco Ugarte/AP
No 10 is worried about retaliation from White House over restrictions on under-16s’ internet use
Ministers have embarked on a concerted lobbying operation to prevent a backlash from the Trump administration to the under-16s social media ban announced by Keir Starmer.
Officials said they had spent weeks trying to reassure senior Trump officials and the US president himself that the restrictions were not specifically aimed at US technology companies.
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© Photograph: Chris J Ratcliffe/Reuters
© Photograph: Chris J Ratcliffe/Reuters
© Photograph: Chris J Ratcliffe/Reuters
Exclusive: Aboriginal Australians and migrants the targets of John Drew, who claims he was once kicked out of Pauline Hanson’s party for being ‘too radical’ – but is now a branch official
Warning: This article contains racially offensive language and outdated references
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A man who has defended the Hitler Youth organisation and used offensive and racist language about Aboriginal people and migrants is working as a policy development officer for One Nation in Queensland.
Guardian Australia can reveal that John Drew, who claims he was kicked out of One Nation more than 20 years ago for being “too radical”, says he has been a party branch official in Brisbane since late last year. This is despite One Nation claiming it has introduced a sophisticated new vetting tool – dubbed Operation Obsidian – that it applies to any person taking up a party role.
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© Composite: Guardian Design
© Composite: Guardian Design
© Composite: Guardian Design
© Katie Collins/Reuters
© Katie Collins/Reuters
Liz Kendall also wants Ofcom to report to parliament every year on how effectively social media firms are keeping under-16s off their platforms
Starmer acknowledges some teenagers will get round these restrictons. But that does not make the rules pointless, he says.
Will it mean that no child ever looks at social media again? No.
But look, this might shock you, but it doesn’t shock parents of teenagers; they get around other laws too.
Some technology companies want us to think that social media is unchangeable, part of an almost natural order.
But we have to resist that kind of learned helplessness. We have agency, we can change it, and we will.
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© Photograph: PRU/AFP/Getty Images
© Photograph: PRU/AFP/Getty Images
© Photograph: PRU/AFP/Getty Images
UK prime minister says move will bring ‘real change for our children’ amid growing concerns over harmful online content
Access to social media will be banned in the UK for users under 16, Keir Starmer has announced, in what he described as “real change for our children and our future”.
“Social media is making children unhappy, it’s making it easier for bullies to harass and abuse them, and it could even be harming their mental health,” he said, setting out plans briefed over the weekend, which will go further than a pioneering ban in Australia.
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© Photograph: Jaimi Joy/EPA
© Photograph: Jaimi Joy/EPA
© Photograph: Jaimi Joy/EPA
© Nicole Craine for The New York Times
Sir Keir Starmer is set to ban under-16s from 10 major social media platforms, including X, but not Bluesky, the Left-wing app.
The post Starmer to Ban Under-16s From 10 Social Media Apps, Including X, but not Bluesky appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Government wants to back parents against tech companies though some feel the process has been rushed
Keir Starmer is expected to announce sweeping “Australia-plus” restrictions on under-16s accessing harmful social media apps, a move the government has framed as taking the side of parents against the big technology companies.
A consultation on online safety closed on 26 May, giving ministers just weeks to come up with policies after receiving more than 116,000 responses. Industry sources and child safety advocates have described the process as “rushed” and driven by a political timeline. It is not clear when the ban could come into force.
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© Photograph: Daniel de la Hoz/Getty Images
© Photograph: Daniel de la Hoz/Getty Images
© Photograph: Daniel de la Hoz/Getty Images
Sources say hardline measures will also prevent young users from being able to talk to strangers on gaming apps
Keir Starmer is to ban under-16s from major social media apps such as TikTok, Instagram and X in sweeping restrictions described as “Australia plus”, the Guardian understands.
In a major policy shift far tougher than previously briefed, the prime minister will announce that teenagers will be banned from all the main social platforms. Online products that are not covered by the ban – such as gaming apps – will face new restrictions such as having the option to chat to strangers removed.
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© Photograph: Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images
© Photograph: Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images
© Photograph: Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images
© Erin Schaff/The New York Times
Exclusive: Cancer charity says dispelling falsehoods gleaned from social media is now routine task for clinicians
Social media misinformation about the use of dietary supplements such as turmeric, St John’s wort and magnesium is now so common that dispelling online claims has become a routine part of NHS clinicians work.
Two out of five frontline health workers say they encounter patients who raise inaccurate or misleading information about supplements at least once a week.
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© Photograph: Oleg Breslavtsev/Getty Images
© Photograph: Oleg Breslavtsev/Getty Images
© Photograph: Oleg Breslavtsev/Getty Images
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