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Mining magnate also claims children are being taught to be ashamed of the Australian flag in a speech to 4,000 people on the Sydney Opera House stepsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, called for immigrants’ social media to be screened and said children are being taught to be ashamed of the Australian flag in untelevised remarks before an Anzac memorial service on the steps of Sydney Opera House on Friday.Rinehart’s public appearance was attended by about 4,000 people and sponsored by her company, Hancock Prospecting, and RSL New South Wales. Continue reading...

Peers and campaigners say proposal for three-year window to impose controls breaks promise of quick actionPeers will vote on Monday on a government move that could delay action on children’s access to social media for up to three years, which has triggered a backlash from campaigners and senior figures in the Lords.Ministers tabled an amendment to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill that would allow them to wait before introducing new restrictions, Critics warn it risks watering down earlier commitments to act within months and could result in only limited interventions such as parental controls rather than sweeping measures on access. Continue reading...

Klaudia Zakrzewska, 32, was hit at about 4.30am six days ago in Soho in incident that left 58-year-man with life-changing injuriesA social media influencer has died six days after a car hit her and other pedestrians outside a nightclub in London, police said.Klaudia Zakrzewska, 32, was injured in Argyll Street, Soho, at about 4.30am on 19 April and was pronounced dead on Saturday. Continue reading...

UK representatives from Meta, Roblox and TikTok also tell MPs they believe under-16 ban would be ‘unenforceable’Executives from three social media companies have denied their platforms are inherently addictive to children and young people in a combative appearance before MPs in Westminster.Representatives from Meta, Roblox and TikTok faced robust questioning from the cross-party education select committee about the impact of screen time and social media on children. Continue reading...

Need something brilliant to read this weekend? Here are six of our favourite pieces from the last seven days Continue reading...

PM summons senior figures from Meta, TikTok, Google and X and says social media is ‘putting our children at risk’Keir Starmer has told social media bosses “things can’t go on like this” in a Downing Street meeting over internet safety.The prime minister summoned senior figures at Meta, TikTok, Google and X to No 10 on Thursday morning as his government considers imposing new restrictions on platforms, including an Australia-style ban for under-16s. Meta owns Facebook and Instagram, and Google owns YouTube. Continue reading...

Commons rejects proposal by 256 to 150 to side with government on plan to tackle online harms affecting childrenMPs have voted against a proposal to ban under-16s from using social media for the second time, as the prime minister summoned tech bosses to demand tougher action on internet safety.The House of Commons rejected a Lords amendment to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill that imposed a new age limit on using social media platforms, amid pressure from parents and campaign groups for greater urgency in tackling online harms. They voted by 256 to 150, a majority of 106, to side with the government on its plan to tackle social media-linked harms affecting children. Continue reading...

In hardline rhetoric, leader Angus Taylor also says ‘many’ prospective migrants would be a ‘net drain’ on the countryGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Coalition government would end Australia’s non-discriminatory immigration program and introduce Trump-style social media vetting for visa applicants, as Angus Taylor accuses Labor of allowing migrants of “subversive intent” into the country.As the opposition loses support to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, Taylor says too many people seek to use Australia’s generosity “for self-serving purposes”, promising to speed up rejections of asylum seekers from countries deemed safe to return to. Continue reading...