We're about a month away from kids under 16 not being able to have a social media account, and we finally know which platforms will and won't have to adhere to the ban.
Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube and Threads are all unsurprising inclusions on the list, but the eSafety Commissioner has also thrown in Reddit (fair enough) and Kick (who?).
Not on the list? Discord, GitHub, YouTube Kids, WhatsApp, Steam, LEGO Play, Messenger, Google Classroom and Roblox.
Now, this is the eSafety Commissioner's recommendations – there's still a chance the actual list could change before the deadline. But it's as close as we've come to a definitive list.
I have my own thoughts on how effective I expect these bans to be (I don't think they will do much of anything to actually protect kids, though they may have the knock-on effect of screwing with big tech companies' revenues), but time will tell.
Do you think the social media age restrictions will work? Let me know about it in the comments below!
In other news this week, I'm back at Finder looking after Finder Shopping for the next few months. I'll be elbows-deep in Black Friday and Boxing Day deals, so if you enjoy saving money, make sure you head over there and sign up. But also remember that BTTR is reader-funded, so consider a paid subscription or throwing a few bucks in the Tip Jar to support my work here.
Until next week
–Nick
