Albanese tells UN that 'sovereignty must have a digital dimension' in child safety push
The Australian prime minister used a UN address to defend his government's under-16 social media ban and warn against a 'globalist' approach to AI regulation.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told the United Nations General Assembly that "retaining sovereignty must have a digital dimension," using a speech to the Coalition for Children's Rights and Protections in the Age of AI in New York to defend his government's approach to child online safety, according to The Guardian.
Albanese said Australian parents were "legally empowered" by the country's digital safety reforms, referring to measures including a ban on social media use by under-16s, an opt-out algorithm requirement, and a government statement on artificial intelligence.
Concerns over children and algorithms
The prime minister said conversations with parents had confirmed shared concerns that social media was "robbing them of their childhood, addicting them to algorithms [and] encouraging anxieties, eating disorders and other harms." He said the goal of Australia's reforms was to "give children back their childhood."
Albanese also addressed the term "artificial intelligence" directly, saying its use "makes intelligence sound fake" when, in his view, "it is not fake, it's actually amazing." He said the United States "totally rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme to control" AI, a position that formed part of the broader discussion at the New York gathering, according to the report.
ABC scrutiny reported separately
The Guardian's live coverage of the day's news separately reported that a watchdog had criticised the Australian Broadcasting Corporation over what was described as a "culture of secrecy" and factchecking issues at the current affairs program Four Corners, though further specifics of that criticism were not detailed in the available report.
The developments were part of The Guardian's ongoing live coverage of Australian news for the day.
Sources
- Australia news live: ABC watchdog criticises ‘culture of secrecy’ and factchecking at Four Corners — The Guardian — World
EGazette summarizes reporting from multiple sources; follow the links for the originals.
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