Social media companies, UNICEF slam Australia’s under-16 ban
Social media companies, UNICEF slam Australia’s under-16 ban/node/2581142/media
Social media companies, UNICEF slam Australia’s under-16 ban
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Australia looks to ban people under 16 from social media, claiming social media platforms have been tarnished by cyberbullying, the spread of illegal content, and election-meddling. (AFP)
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Australia looks to ban people under 16 from social media, claiming social media platforms have been tarnished by cyberbullying, the spread of illegal content, and election-meddling. (AFP)
Social media companies, UNICEF slam Australia’s under-16 ban
Tech companies say the measure is littered with “many unanswered questions” ut they are willing to engage with the government on shaping its implementation
UNICEF Australia also warned that the law was no “silver bullet” against online harm and could push kids into “covert and unregulated” spaces online
Updated 29 November 2024
AFP
MELBOURNE: Social media giants on Friday hit out at a landmark Australian law banning them from signing up under-16s, describing it as a rush job littered with “many unanswered questions.”
The UN children’s charity UNICEF Australia joined the fray, warning the law was no “silver bullet” against online harm and could push kids into “covert and unregulated” spaces online.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the legislation may not be implemented perfectly — much like existing age restrictions on alcohol — but it was “the right thing to do.”
The crackdown on sites like Facebook, Instagram and X, approved by parliament late Thursday, will lead to “better outcomes and less harm for young Australians,” he told reporters.
Platforms have a “social responsibility” to make children’s safety a priority, the prime minister said.
“We’ve got your back, is our message to Australian parents.”
Social media firms that fail to comply with the law face fines of up to Aus$50 million ($32.5 million).
TikTok said Friday it was “disappointed” in the law, accusing the government of ignoring mental health, online safety and youth experts who had opposed the ban.
“It’s entirely likely the ban could see young people pushed to darker corners of the Internet where no community guidelines, safety tools, or protections exist,” a TikTok spokesperson said.
Tech companies said that despite the law’s perceived shortcomings, they would engage with the government on shaping how it could be implemented in the next 12 months.
The legislation offers almost no details on how the rules will be enforced — prompting concern among experts that it will simply be a symbolic, unenforceable piece of legislation.
Meta — owner of Facebook and Instagram — called for consultation on the rules to ensure a “technically feasible outcome that does not place an onerous burden on parents and teens.”
But the company added it was concerned “about the process, which rushed the legislation through while failing to properly consider the evidence, what industry already does to ensure age-appropriate experiences, and the voices of young people.”
A Snapchat spokesperson said the company had raised “serious concerns” about the law and that “many unanswered questions” remained about how it would work.
But the company said it would engage closely with government to develop an approach balancing “privacy, safety and practicality.”
“As always, Snap will comply with any applicable laws and regulations in Australia,” it said.
UNICEF Australia policy chief Katie Maskiell said young people need to be protected online but also need to be included in the digital world.
“This ban risks pushing children into increasingly covert and unregulated online spaces as well as preventing them from accessing aspects of the online world essential to their wellbeing,” she said.
One of the biggest issues will be privacy — what age-verification information is used, how it is collected and by whom.
Social media companies remain adamant that age-verification should be the job of app stores, but the government believes tech platforms should be responsible.
Exemptions will likely be granted to some companies, such as WhatsApp and YouTube, which teenagers may need to use for recreation, school work or other reasons.
The legislation will be closely monitored by other countries, with many weighing whether to implement similar bans.
Lawmakers from Spain to Florida have proposed social media bans for young teens, although none of the measures have been implemented yet.
China has restricted access for minors since 2021, with under-14s not allowed to spend more than 40 minutes a day on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.
Online gaming time for children is also limited in China.
Future is for those who can imagine it, Arab News Editor says at AMF reception
Dubai Media Office Director-General Mona Al-Marri praises Arab News transformation, says others should follow suit
Dubai Future Foundation CEO Khalfan Belhoul: How we create and consume media is changing dramatically
Google MENA MD Anthony Nakache: We are committed to empowering journalists
Updated 27 May 2025
Arab News
DUBAI: As part of a series of initiatives marking its 50th anniversary, Arab News hosted a special reception and talk in collaboration with Google on the opening day of the Arab Media Forum, reflecting on five decades of events that shaped the Middle East and exploring the future of the region’s media landscape.
During the reception, held at the Dubai Future Foundation under the theme “Reimagining the Future of Media,” Faisal J. Abbas, Editor-in-Chief of Arab News, addressed the challenges facing the media industry and how emerging technologies are reshaping its future.
“The future does not wait, the future is already here, and we should remember that the future belongs to those who can imagine it, design it and execute it, as Dubai Ruler H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid always says,” said Abbas.
“As an industry, we have suffered far too long from paralysis by analysis,” he added. “While artificial intelligence is evolving every day, we should simply just do it and remember that amateurs talk strategy, while professionals talk logistics, as the late World War II general, Omar Bradley, once said.”
Faisal J. Abbas presents a memento marking the 50th anniversary of Arab News to Khalfan Belhoul. (AN photo/Abdurrahman Fahad Bin Shulhub)
For her part, Mona Al-Marri, director-general of Dubai Media Office, Government of Dubai, welcomed the attendees and congratulated Arab News on its 50th anniversary in her opening remarks.
“Congratulations to the entire Arab News team,” she said, noting the newspaper’s pivotal role in the regional media landscape and its long-standing contribution to the Arab Media Summit since its inception 23 years ago — “whether through participation, contribution, or by organizing events like this.”
Al-Marri praised the leadership of Abbas, saying that “having a young editor-in-chief running such a major platform makes” a real difference.
Let’s all agree that how we create and consume media is changing dramatically.
Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation
“How can we transform such a platform into digital? Today’s (event) actually marks the importance of having such collaboration, like with Google and the Dubai Future Foundation, where we feel this is the future of the Arab media. I hope that all media outlets in our region follow in the steps of Arab News, because this is when you set a good working model for the whole region.”
“Arab News is leading this transformation,” she added. In a region where over 50 percent of the population is young, “we should all follow this model.”
Al-Marri praised the leadership of Abbas, saying that “having a young editor-in-chief running such a major platform makes” a real difference. (AN photo/Abdurrahman Fahad Bin Shulhub)
Speaking on the future of the industry in his keynote speech, Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation, outlined seven key predictions for media over the next year.
“Let’s all agree that how we create and consume media is changing dramatically,” he said during his address at the Dubai Future Foundation Auditorium in Emirates Towers. “Look at the average attention span, which is eight seconds.”
He noted how sports consumption has dramatically changed beyond live games and consequently the demand for content has exploded. “For me, sport is all about pre-game, game, post-game interviews and conversations. And we need to adapt to that.”
Belhoul emphasized that this shift is forcing a transformation of media business models. “New media means new roles,” he said, listing predictions such as AI-generated news anchors, governments licensing content creators, and AI-powered productions by major streaming platforms. He also highlighted the rise of “slow media” as a cultural counterbalance to viral, unchecked content.
He said that the disruptive power of AI — from disinformation to audience mistrust — makes the “human touch” more vital than ever. “AI may be the hero of the next media chapter, but self-critique, adaptability and editorial responsibility will define its success,” he said.
Now in its 24th edition, the three-day Arab Media Forum in Dubai brings together senior government officials, media executives, thought leaders, and influential content creators from the Arab region and beyond. It is now held under a bigger event called the Arab Media Summit, which includes various other forums and award ceremonies.
Faisal J. Abbas, Editor-in-Chief of Arab News, addressed the challenges facing the media industry and how emerging technologies are reshaping its future. (AN photo/Abdurrahman Fahad Bin Shulhub)
The summit runs until May 28 and focuses on fostering collaboration among media platforms, senior officials, and governments to create a positive impact on shaping vital sectors of everyday life in the region.
In light of this connection, the summit features an impressive lineup of prominent personalities including Nawaf Salam, the prime minister of Lebanon, and Asaad Al-Shaibani, Syria’s foreign minister, among others.
A panel discussion featuring information ministers from several Arab countries explores the future of public media and strategies to strengthen collaboration with the private sector.
The best results come when an AI tool is put in the hands of journalists, creating magic for users.
Anthony Nakache, Managing director of Google MENA
Ghassan Salameh, Lebanon’s minister of culture, will share insights on the media’s role in shaping a path toward regional stability, while prominent media figure Piers Morgan is set to address the summit audience in a key session.
Addressing the pivotal role of AI in reshaping the media landscape, Anthony Nakache, managing director of Google MENA, highlighted Google’s initiatives and products aimed at enhancing user experience and supporting content creation in an era of rapid digital transformation.
He said: “Since Google was founded, our mission has been to organize the world information, make it universally accessible and useful for everyone. 26 years later, that vision has not changed, and we are actually more committed to it than ever.”
Anthony Nakache, managing director of Google MENA, highlighted Google’s initiatives and products aimed at enhancing user experience and supporting content creation. (AN photo/Abdurrahman Fahad Bin Shulhub)
“We considered exploring new initiatives such as the AI Launch Lab with FT Strategies and the Google News initiative and FT Strategies AI design sprint in collaboration with The Saudi Ministry of Media and the UAE Media Council.”
He added: “By (choosing) to invest in innovation, to uphold the highest standards of quality information, and by empowering journalists to use AI tools and digital solutions, we can all together forge a very dynamic and successful future for journalism in the region. A great example of that is what we are going to showcase tonight, which is our partnership with Arab News that is now exploring the latest of our AI tools to create new ways to engage with their audience.”
Nakache said he was “very excited” about the upcoming Arab News podcast series powered by Google’s latest AI tool, NotebookLM 2, a smart note-taking solution that automatically generates podcasts. The tool was recently recognized as one of the most innovative AI solutions of 2024 by Time magazine.
“But the best (results come) when it is put in the hands of journalists, creating magic for users,” he added.
The reception, held at the Dubai Future Foundation, was themed “Reimagining the Future of Media.” (AN photo/Abdurrahman Fahad Bin Shulhub)
Monday evening concluded with the announcement of Arab News’ collaboration with Google for a special podcast series titled “Recounting the Moments that Changed the Middle East.”
The five-episode podcast series spans five decades, with each episode focusing on a pivotal decade in Middle East history — from 1975 to the present.
Produced using NotebookLM, Google’s AI-powered research tool, the project employed artificial hosts and AI-generated voices to narrate major events that shaped the region, highlighting how emerging technology can support storytelling, research and historical reflection in modern journalism.
New Arab News podcast tells story of five pivotal decades
Series powered by Google artificial intelligence research tool launched at Arab Media Forum
Updated 27 May 2025
Arab News
DUBAI: Arab News launched a podcast series on Monday about the past five decades of pivotal moments that have changed the Middle East.
The project uses NotebookLM, Google’s AI-powered research tool, and features artificial hosts and AI-generated voices.
“This is a first step into what will be a very exciting future, whereby artificial intelligence is going to help us tell the story of the region to a wider audience,” Arab News Editor-in-Chief Faisal J. Abbas said at a reception and talk during the Arab Media Forum in Dubai.
The project illustrated how emerging technology could support storytelling, research, and historical reflection in modern journalism, said Anthony Nakache, managing director of Google MENA. “By empowering journalists to use AI tools ... we can together forge a dynamic and successful future for journalism in the region,” he said.
Arab News is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its first publication by looking back at those decades and the moments that defined the region. Each episode of the podcast focuses on a decade in Middle East history from 1975 until now.
The series “comes at a pivotal time in the region, and offers a different way of telling the stories that shaped the Middle East as it is today,” said Tarek Ali Ahmad, head of Arab News Research & Studies.
ISLAMABAD: As Indian and Pakistani guns fell silent after trading fire for days this month, the war over facts and fiction is far from over and fierce battle rages on social media as to who won, who distorted the truth, and which version of events should be trusted.
As both states continue to push competing narratives, experts warn that misinformation, censorship and AI-generated propaganda have turned digital platforms into battlegrounds, with real-world consequences for peace, truth and regional stability.
The four-day military standoff, which ended on May 10 with a US-brokered ceasefire, resulted from an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people last month. India accused Pakistan of backing the assault, a charge Islamabad has consistently denied.
While the truce between the nuclear-armed archfoes has since held, digital rights experts have sounded alarm over the parallel information war, which continues based on disinformation, censorship and propaganda on both sides, threatening the ceasefire between both nations.
Asad Baig, who heads the Media Matters for Democracy not-for-profit that works on media literacy and digital democracy, noted that broadcast media played a central role in spreading falsehoods during the India-Pakistan standoff to cater to an online audience hungry for “sensational content.”
“Disinformation was overwhelmingly spread from the Indian side,” Baig told Arab News. “Media was playing to a polarized, online audience. Conflict became content, and content became currency in the monetization game.”
A man clicks a picture of a billboard featuring Pakistan's Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir (C), Naval Chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf (R), and Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu, along a road in Peshawar. (AFP/File)
Several mainstream media outlets, mostly in India, flooded the public with fake news, doctored visuals and sensationalist coverage, fueling mass anxiety and misinformation, according to fact-checkers and experts, who say the role of media at this critical geopolitical juncture undermined journalistic integrity and misled citizens.
“I think this is a perfect example of the media becoming a tool of propaganda in the hands of a state,” said prominent digital rights activist Usama Khilji, calling on those at the helm of television and digital media outlets to independently verify state claims using tools like satellite imagery or on-ground sources.
In Pakistan, X, previously known as Twitter, had been banned since February 2024, with digital rights groups and global organizations calling the blockade a “blatant violation” of civic liberties and a threat to democratic freedoms.
But on May 7, as Pakistan’s responded to India’s missile strikes on its territory that began the conflict, the platform was suddenly restored, allowing users to access it without a VPN that allows them to bypass such restrictions by masking their location. The platform has remained accessible since.
“We were [previously] told that X is banned because of national security threats,” Khilji told Arab News, praising the government’s “strategic move” to let the world hear Pakistan’s side of the story during this month’s conflict.
“But when we actually got a major national security threat in terms of literal war, X was unblocked.”
Indian authorities meanwhile blocked more than 8,000 X, YouTube and Instagram accounts belonging to news outlets as well as Pakistani celebrities, journalists and influencers.
“When only one narrative is allowed to dominate, it creates echo chambers that breed confusion, fuel conflict, and dangerously suppress the truth,” Khilji explained.
VIRTUAL WAR
Minutes after India attacked Pakistan with missiles on May 7, Pakistan released a video to journalists via WhatsApp that showed multiple blasts hitting an unknown location purportedly in Pakistan. However, the video later turned out to be of Israeli bombardment of Gaza and was retracted.
A woman wearing a T-shirt featuring ‘OPERATION SINDOOR’ checks her mobile phone near a market area in Ludhiana. (AFP/File)
On May 8, Indian news outlets played a video in which a Pakistani military spokesperson admitted to the downing of two of their Chinese-made JF-17 fighter jets. X users later pointed out that the video was AI-generated.
Throughout the standoff both mainstream and digital media outlets found themselves in the eye of the storm, with many official and verified accounts sharing and then retracting false information. The use of AI-generated videos and even video game simulations misrepresented battlefield scenarios in real time and amplified confusion at a critical moment.
Insights from experts paint a disturbing picture of how information warfare is becoming inseparable from conventional conflict. From deliberate state narratives to irresponsible media and rampant misinformation on social platforms, the truth itself is becoming a casualty of war.
AFP Digital Verification Correspondent Rimal Farrukh describes how false information was often laced with hate speech, targeting vulnerable communities like Muslims in India and Hindus in Pakistan.
“We saw dehumanizing language, misleading visuals, and recycled war footage, often from unrelated conflicts like Russia-Ukraine or Israel-Gaza, used to stoke fear and deepen biases,” she told Arab News.
BBC Gaza documentary delay prompts withdrawal threats from doctors, whistleblowers
BBC faces mounting pressure over decision to shelve film despite legal clearance and widespread support
Updated 23 May 2025
Arab News
LONDON: Doctors and whistleblowers who featured in a BBC documentary on Gaza have threatened to withdraw their consent after the broadcaster delayed airing the film, citing an internal review.
The documentary, “Gaza: Medics Under Fire,” was scheduled to be broadcast in February but remains on hold as the BBC investigates a separate program, “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone,” which was earlier pulled from the BBC’s iPlayer after revelations that its young narrator was the son of a Hamas official.
According to a report by The Guardian, although “Gaza: Medics Under Fire” was cleared for broadcast and approved by the BBC’s legal and editorial compliance teams, the broadcaster has reportedly requested further changes and stated the film will not be aired until the ongoing internal review concludes.
The BBC, however, has not indicated when the review is expected to be completed.
While other broadcasters have expressed interest in airing the film, the BBC has so far blocked those efforts, according to the production company.
The delay has sparked backlash from cultural figures including Susan Sarandon, Gary Lineker, Harriet Walter and Miriam Margolyes, who signed an open letter to BBC Director-General Tim Davie, accusing the corporation of “political suppression.”
“This is not editorial caution. It’s political suppression,” the letter stated. “No news organisation should quietly decide behind closed doors whose stories are worth telling. This important film should be seen by the public, and its contributors’ bravery honoured.”
More than 600 people endorsed the letter, including prominent UK actors Maxine Peake and Juliet Stevenson.
Meanwhile, Basement Films, which produced the documentary, has released additional footage from other doctors in Gaza through its social media channels.
“We have many offers from broadcasters and platforms across the world so that the searing testimonies of Gazan medics and of surviving family members can be heard, in some cases eight months after we spoke to them … We are still urging BBC News to do the right thing,” the company said in a statement.
The situation has also stirred internal concern at the BBC, particularly after the corporation’s chair, Samir Shah, described the editorial failings of “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone” as a “dagger to the heart” of the BBC’s reputation for trust and impartiality.
A BBC spokesperson told The Guardian: “We understand the importance of telling these stories and know that the current process is difficult for those involved.”
LONDON: British right-wing newspaper The Telegraph has agreed a deal that would see it purchased by US investment group RedBird Capital Partners for £500 million ($670 million), the pair announced Friday.
RedBird has struck an “in-principle agreement” to purchase The Telegraph Media Group (TMG), which comprises the 170-year-old paper’s print and online operations, a joint statement said.
It concludes a protracted sale lasting around two years, which has involved an intervention by the previous Conservative government.
US-Emirati consortium RedBird IMI had already struck a deal for TMG in late 2023.
RedBird Capital Partners on Friday said the agreement struck with TMG makes it “the sole control owner” and “unlocks a new era of growth for the title” founded in 1855.
“RedBird’s growth strategy will include capital investment in digital operations, subscriptions and journalism as it looks to expand The Telegraph internationally.”
The US group added it is in “discussions with select UK-based minority investors with print media expertise and strong commitment to upholding the editorial values of The Telegraph.”
