"This is a proud day to be Australian. This reform will change lives", so said PM Anthony Albanese as the Under-16 social media ban came into force yesterday.  Welcome to Thursday and of course lots of media coverage this morning on the long-discussed social media ban officially switching on. Let's start with the Sydney Morning Herald and sister Melbourne daily The Age. The SMH carries a nice picture of two young girls - aged 15 and 14 - at Bondi beach enjoying the summer day without the distraction of social media. Picture by Louise Kennerley. It says there's more coverage on pages 4 and 5 but it turns out it's actually on pages 6 and 7. Whoops.  Anyway, 'Under 16s on social media told ban will affect them' says the headline on a story by Natassia Chrysanthos, tech editor David Swan and Kayla Olaya. Matthew Knott has a great Sketch colour piece on the government's official shindig to celebrate at Kirribilli House, and there

Image source: TOI Bharat, The Indian Express and The Hindu; Edited by Dinesh Raj M   Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has sought a return of paper ballots alleging that BJP has captured the Election Commission (EC) is “colluding” with the governing party to help it win polls and asked why the Prime Minister and Home Minister were so keen on deciding who becomes the election commissioner in the backdrop of allegations of "vote chori" by ruling party. The National Democratic Alliance and the INDIA bloc also exchanged barbs over electoral reforms and the special intensive revision in the Lok Sabha. Hot Off the Press Seizing the Parliament grand stage to raise questions on the “impartiality” of the Election Commission, the Opposition Tuesday demanded a return to paper ballot and an amendment to the law that deals with the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and ECs. Opposition parties also picked holes in the special intensive revision of vote

From today, platforms including Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, TikTok, Twitch, Reddit, X, Kick, Threads and YouTube must block users under 16. Teens who turn 16 will face mandatory age-verification checks before getting access. The ban, drawn up by the federal government with bi-partisan support in parliament, has drawn heavy media attention, with much debate focused on enforcement and the reliability of age-verification technology.  We spoke to leading tech journalists Trevor Long and Chris Griffith for their thoughts on the world-first.  EFTM’s Long said while he understands the need for and the premise of the ban, he maintains it's flawed.  “I think the issue is devices, not social media,” he said. “If parents were correctly managing kids’ accounts, then we would have fewer problems because parents would be more engaged and aware of what their kids are doing. “The biggest problem is that the Prime Minister has said this takes the responsibility away from parent

The world of communications freelancing, while offering unparalleled flexibility, can sometimes be a solitary journey. But for Elle Kress, founder of Worktribes, that isolation sparked an innovative solution now empowering a growing community of independent professionals. Worktribes, a dynamic platform born from Kress's own experience, is rapidly becoming a go-to resource for communications freelancers seeking connection, support, and growth.  "Worktribes was actually born out of a challenge that I faced when I started Hey Good News PR," Kress told Influencing. "I quickly became very lonely and really missed having a team around me." This personal struggle led Kress to create a community platform on Slack, which has since evolved into the comprehensive Worktribes ecosystem.  "Essentially what it is, is a place where you can get resources, you can meet other freelancers, you can post questions about freelancing and really just upskill," she said.  But beyond professional deve

News Corp’s latest cohort of editorial cadets have hit the ground running with an induction week after 30 of them were picked from almost 600 applicants for the 12-month paid program.  The Cadet Program is the largest of its kind in Australia and is well respected across the media industry and as anyone who has worked for News Corp knows - there’s a high level of professionalism in the way journalists are trained and supported in their careers at News Herald Sun Editor Sam Weir is a good example of the calibre of the company’s scribes. He’s spent his career at News Corp - he began as a cadet in Adelaide - and he told us, “our National Editorial Cadet Program represents News’ ongoing investment in quality journalism and the next generation of media professionals. We’re committed to nurturing talented individuals who will help us continue our mission of building a better Australia through powerful storytelling and impactful journalism.&r

It took the power of News Corp to get Australia to bring in the world-first Under-16 social media ban - well, according to News Corp's tabloids it did. The ban comes into force today and it will see as many as half a million children under the age of 16 booted off a range of social media platforms. This morning Sydney's Daily Telegraph ('It's great to be a kid again'), Melbourne's Herald Sun ('Let us be kids'), Queensland's Courier-Mail ('Today childhood will be rebooted') and Adelaide's The Advertiser ('See u in realsies'), and even the NT News which generally likes to plough its own furrow up north has 'Digital media reboot' as its main story. It almost seems like a planned campaign...and of course it was and it is. Those Murdoch-owned papers give themselves a really good series of pats on the back today after their Let Them Be Kids campaign was heralded thus this morning in the Daily Telegraph