Australia passes landmark social media ban for under-16s

ustralia has passed landmark rules to ban under-16s from social media, approving one of the world’s toughest crackdowns on popular sites like Facebook, Instagram and X.

The legislation ordering social media firms to take “reasonable steps” to prevent young teens from having accounts was passed in the Senate with 34 votes in favour and 19 against.

Read the full article on NZ Herald.

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This systematic review synthesised evidence on the influence of social media use on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents. All domains correlated with depression, anxiety and psychological distress.

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Square eyes: Half of Kiwis addicted to devices, many blame Covid pandemic

There's a new addiction in New Zealand - more than a third of Kiwis say they are hooked on their screens and many are blaming Covid for it. As the country enters its second week of lockdown, New Zealanders have been averaging five hours of screen time a day on top of using devices for work and school since the Covid pandemic started last year, a new NortonLifeLock study has found.‍

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/afk - Away from Keyboard explores the relationship between online gamers and the games that they play. It examines the evolution of the World of Warcraft from its infancy to its non-existent conclusion and beyond. Through the lives of several key characters, this film shows the real joys associated with online games while offering an objective look at some of its inherent trappings.

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