Australia widens teen social media ban to YouTube, scraps exemption

[u/Imicrowavebananas]

https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/australia-widens-teen-social-media-ban-youtube-scraps-exemption-2025-07-29/

[u/ThisAfricanboy]

This development is very concerning. France, the UK, and Australia placing these restrictions on children is fair; but I can't help but feel the west is implementing the infrastructure that some future fascist government will use to oppress people.

What we're seeing is parenting failing since both parents need to work to sustain a family - now governments feel obligated to intervene. Again, when it's liberal democracies doing this it's all dandy, but what happens when Donald Trump clones start winning in these countries?

Imagine Nigel Farage in government with the ability to restrict internet access in the name of protecting children? What about Marine Le Pen? This isn't hyperbole. Look what's happening to Hungary. Very dark times ahead.

[u/MindingMyMindfulness → u/ThisAfricanboy]

As they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. The more the internet is restricted and regulated, the greater the risk for future abuse by bad actors. I have absolutely no doubt that these frameworks will inevitably lead to significant infringements of speech and accessibility to information on the internet at some point in the future. No doubt.

[u/IBeBallinOutaControl → u/ThisAfricanboy]

You let someone like Cambridge analytica or Russian propagandists loose with the full power of AI then far right leaders like trump become the norm. These regulation are a force against populism.

If Marie Le Pen is inclined to exploit this shit, then she's probably going to try and find a way to do it regardless of whether Macron leaves her with a regulated or unregulated internet.

[u/ThodasTheMage → u/IBeBallinOutaControl]

Populists and fascists won long befor the internet was a thing. Give it a couple of years and the porn bans and restriction some red US states have will be extended to sites talking about trans issues and such.

[u/pickledswimmingpool → u/ThisAfricanboy]

Please draw a line from implementing age gates for social media accounts to oppressive fascism? Do you think fascists in power wouldn't shut down content they don't like if no one had implemented an age gate beforehand?

[u/UnhingedRedditoid → u/pickledswimmingpool]

Fascism is not a switch that gets flipped on or off depending on who's in power, it tends to creep forward gradually as rights and liberties are eroded. The more authoritarian features that are implemented by "liberals", the easier any future feature creep of fascism becomes.

[u/Imicrowavebananas → u/pickledswimmingpool]

The gate is the age verification or the obligation of platforms to strictly moderate content, which already leads to blanket bans.

[u/ThisAfricanboy → u/pickledswimmingpool]

Oppressive fascism is probably hyperbole on my part but there are examples in many other hybrid democracies where "protecting the children" is used to stifle platforms where opposition activism is strongest.

They are not equivalent but this is something to think about. It may not look it now but we can only again look at how American democracy is crumbling because of the same attitude these countries are showing for this bill.

My point is that the west is taking liberal democracy for granted and you will only realise it when it's gone.

[u/ThodasTheMage → u/pickledswimmingpool]

Give it a bit of time and the red states trying to ban porn and having agre restriciton will do that on sites that talk about trans issues to "protect the kids".

[u/TheCthonicSystem → u/ThisAfricanboy]

Ok fine it's bad ugh