SOCIAL MEDIA BAN
More deets on the social media ban are here, and it's a bit more light-handed than some were expecting. From day one, platforms have to show that they've taken 'reasonable steps' to remove under 16s, or face a $49.5 million fine! As for what 'reasonable steps' are, well it's not super clear. They won't have to age test every single user, and it's up to platforms to decide how they do that age testing. But it has to be multi-layered, which means more than one way of checking. For example, not just your ID. The government admits the system won't catch everyone, but it says it had to balance protecting privacy with keeping kids safe. So, thoughts?
EDCHAT
Meanwhile, South Australia is offering school students their own chatbot! It's called 'EdChat', and the government says it's its kinda like ChatGPT but with extra safeguards, to stop you seeing inappropriate content and protect your mental health. They figured that if AI's going to be part of the future, then kids probably need to know how to use it. South Australian high schools will be able to opt in to use EdChat next month, and some other states are looking at similar tech.
PNG INDEPENDENCE DAY
It's a big week Papua New Guinea. There's been fireworks, festivals, and a lot of celebrating. You see, it was 50 years ago today that the Australian flag was lowered for the last time. Yeah, you heard right! The Australian flag. You see, what we now know as PNG was actually a territory of Australia, while it's been home to indigenous peoples for 10s of thousands of years, it was colonised in 1884 by Germany and Britain. In 1906, Britain handed over its territory to Australia, and during World War I, we took Germany's part too. But a lot of people wanted that to change, and in the 70s, it did. The transition to independence wasn't easy, and PNG has faced some pretty difficult times. But today was all about celebrating how much the country has achieved. Australia's prime minister played a big part in the celebrations. He's also announced a defence treaty with PNG, and says we'll always have each other's backs, just as friends and neighbours should.
JANE AUSTEN FESTIVAL
Yes, we all love a good celebration, and that's exactly what's happening here in Bath, where fans of the famous British author have gathered to celebrate Jane Austen's 250th birthday.
JUBILEE
Meanwhile at the Vatican, they've been celebrating with drones. This light show was part of a huge celebration put on for the Jubilee, a special year in the catholic church that comes around every quarter of a century.
PUDDING THROWING CONTEST
And finally to in Lancashire, England, where folks are celebrating the ancient art of pudding throwing. It involves throwing a ball of congealed blood at a Yorkshire pudding, which for some reason somebody's put all the way up here. Believe it or not, this is a sport that's been around since the 1500s.