The Latest Breaking News from Belinda Barnet

Australian social media ban both a success and failure

Australian laws banning children from social media have the world talking but two months in, experts say they are far from foolproof.

AAP · Feb 7

Banned by AI bots: fresh call for social media referee

Artificial intelligence software is incorrectly banning social media accounts but without an ombudsman, many struggle to reclaim their profiles.

AAP · Sep 30, 2025

Aussie TikTok users brace as clock ticks down to US ban

An exodus to other Chinese apps, a jump in prominence but a dive in content: speculation is raging over what a US TikTok ban will mean for its Aussie users.

AAP · Jan 17, 2025

The demise of Twitter: how a ‘utopian vision’ for social media became a ‘toxic mess’

In the early days it was seen as a place for ‘genuine public discourse’, but users have fled since Elon Musk took over. What went wrong?

The Guardian - AU · Apr 27, 2024

Concerns over Meta's plan to take news out of News Feed

Social media users, as well as small and specialised news outlets, could be the big losers from Meta's plan to remove more news from Facebook, experts say.

AAP · Mar 29, 2024

Australia fined X $610,500. But will Elon Musk’s company pay up?

‘There are three key drivers to get companies to change their behaviour: reputation, regulation and revenue,’ the e-safety commissioner says

The Guardian - AU · Oct 18, 2023

Uncharted territory: do AI girlfriend apps promote unhealthy expectations for human relationships?

Chatbots such as Eva AI are getting better at mimicking human interaction but some fear they feed into unhealthy beliefs around gender-based control and violence

The Guardian - AU · Jul 22, 2023

Founder of Alice Springs crime page, Action for Alice, says his account has been suspended by Facebook

The founder of a social media page highlighting crime and anti-social behaviour in Alice Springs says his Facebook account has been temporarily suspended, barring him from sharing content with his more than 60,000 followers.

ABC News · Feb 20, 2023

NT's 'tough-on-crime' approach not working as young people jailed over TikTok copycat ramraids

Northern Territory police will target repeat offenders in their homes as incarceration rates in the NT continue to soar.

ABC News · Nov 24, 2022

Australia spearheads online safety push

Harmful, hateful and abusive content on social media will be the target of a new global network of online regulators, led by Australia's eSafety Commission.

AAP · Nov 14, 2022