This Month
How a viral social media site for AI bots is suffering a human problem
OpenClaw and Moltbook have taken the tech crowd by storm, but the purity of a social media platform solely for AI bots is ironically being polluted by humans.
Why WhatsApp messages have become a selfish waste of time
If your instant message requires immediate attention, fine. But many don’t – they’re simply inconsiderate, so just email instead.
Minister to grill Roblox over child grooming fears
The Minister for Communications has written to the leadership of the popular gaming platform Roblox following reports predators are exploiting the platform.
Richard White’s ex-mistress shows off his ‘professional mentoring’
The WiseTech billionaire has been targeted for intense online attention from one of his admirers.
Ban AI ‘Slopoganda’ spreading antisemitism
We can’t tackle extremism without confronting the disinformation ecosystem that thrives on digital platforms.
French police search X’s premises, prosecutors summon Elon Musk
The cybercrime division of the Paris prosecutor’s office is investigating X in relation to seven accusations, including denial of crimes against humanity.
Snapchat offered to lock kids out of features. Government said no
The number of local teenage accounts closed by Snapchat has been disclosed after it tried to dodge Australia’s social media ban by offering major app changes.
January
Airwallex’s Jack Zhang grapples with problems of paid PR
Not even allegations of breaching anti-money-laundering laws regarding child sexual abusers is enough to keep Airwallex down.
EU probes X over Grok’s sexualised deepfakes
The AI chatbot has been generating sexualised imagery and posting it to X, prompting swift rebukes from regulators and child safety advocates.
Inside the long tail of the Luke Sayers lewd photo scandal
It’s been more than a year since the now-infamous post appeared on Sayers’ X profile. But a new defamation case this week shows the saga isn’t going away.
TikTok will live on in US as deal ends years of drama
TikTok and its Chinese parent ByteDance have closed a long-awaited deal to transfer parts of its US operations to American investors, ending fears it will be banned there.
Two reasons why the UK should not copy our faulty social media ban
The Australian policy is the digital equivalent of a curfew pushing kids out of one park and into another. The behaviour doesn’t disappear; it just relocates.
It’s a silk beauty parade as Labor considers solicitor-general pick
Facing a year of major High Court litigation, the Albanese government is under pressure to fill a vacancy at the top of its legal team.
David Beckham breaks silence after son’s internet outburst
The former footballer says “children are allowed to make mistakes, that’s how they learn” after his son Brooklyn’s incendiary Instagram post.
How the ‘Chad mindset’ is enticing MAGA’s young men
Following in the footsteps of Andrew Tate, they prize looks and masculinity above all else. Gavin Newsom rocks and JD Vance has no place in the White House.
‘Shocked at how easy it is’: Snapchat failing to stop teen users
It was the most widely used social network by under-16s before the government’s ban, and a month later parents say kids are still accessing it with ease.
Luke Sayers’ wife sues former Carlton president in lewd photo fallout
Cate Sayers, who has separated from her husband, alleges she was defamed in submissions made by the businessman to an AFL-run investigation into the scandal.
The woman driving Trump’s influencer machine
Margo Martin, a lesser-known member of the president’s staff, fuels social media with a blitz of content that more often than not goes viral.
UK poised to follow Australia and ban social media for kids
British PM Keir Starmer had focused on stopping children from seeing harmful content, but momentum has grown for a ban on social media accounts for under-16s.
Government’s social ban numbers include deleted, duplicate accounts
The government has lauded the removal of 4.7 million child social media accounts but that figure includes duplicated, inactive and even deleted accounts.
