Australia approved a historic law on Thursday that bans minors under the age of 16 from accessing social media, one of the strictest measures in the world to keep teenagers away from platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X.

After being approved by the lower house of Parliament the previous day, the Senate voted in favor of the groundbreaking legislation on Thursday. Soon, social media companies will be required to take “reasonable steps” to prevent teenagers from having accounts on their platforms.

Tech companies, facing fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (32.5 million U.S. dollars) for non-compliance, have labeled the legislation as “rushed,” “problematic,” and “vague.”

Center-left Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is seeking re-election next year, campaigned in favor of the law and called on parents to support it.

Albanese described social media as “platforms where peer pressure is exerted, sources of anxiety, channels for scammers, and, worst of all, a tool for online predators.”

Advertisement

20240920_mh_amnistia_fiscal_728x90

20240813_lechematerna_728x91

20240701_vacunacion_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

20230816_dgs_728x90

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

CEL

“I want to see children away from their devices and on football fields, at swimming pools, and on tennis courts,” Albanese said in an interview in September.

On paper, this ban is one of the strictest in the world, but it remains unclear how social media companies will enforce the prohibition.

President Joe Biden called on Thursday for the preservation of the relationship between the United States and its partners, Mexico and Canada, following former President Donald Trump’s threat to impose a 25% tariff on these countries when he returns to the White House in January.

“The last thing we need to do is start ruining those relationships,” Biden said to reporters when asked about Trump’s proposed tariffs.

“It’s counterproductive,” the outgoing president stated.

Biden expressed hope that Trump would “reconsider” the plan once he assumes the presidency at the end of January.

The future president threatened last Monday to impose a 25% customs duty on all goods Mexico exports to the U.S. if the government of Claudia Sheinbaum does not stop irregular migrant flows and drug trafficking at the shared border.

Advertisement

20240920_mh_amnistia_fiscal_728x90

20240813_lechematerna_728x91

20240701_vacunacion_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

20230816_dgs_728x90

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

CEL

The warning also extended to Canada, the third partner in the North American free trade agreement, the USMCA.

In response, Sheinbaum sent a letter to the magnate on Tuesday, stating that migration and drug consumption issues cannot be resolved “with threats” and that if the U.S. imposes tariffs, Mexico would take similar measures.

However, on Thursday, following a phone call with Trump, Sheinbaum ruled out an “tariff war” with the United States.

During his campaign, Trump presented the tariffs as a cornerstone of his economic policy. The idea aims to fund tax cuts, encourage companies to set up in the U.S., and use the tariffs as leverage for future trade negotiations.

Advertisement

20240920_mh_amnistia_fiscal_728x90

20240813_lechematerna_728x91

20240701_vacunacion_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

20230816_dgs_728x90

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

CEL

Chilean President Gabriel Boric stated on Thursday that he trusts the justice system to do its job regarding the allegations against him of supposed sexual harassment of a woman ten years ago and the distribution of intimate images, accusations that the president strongly denied.

“The government spokesperson and my lawyer have already clearly addressed the complaint. Let the institutions do their work, and let the government govern,” Boric told the press during a housing delivery event in Santiago. This was the first time the 38-year-old president publicly commented on the investigation against him, albeit briefly.

Boric has been accused by a woman, whose identity remains confidential, of sexual harassment and the improper sharing of intimate images, according to his lawyer Jonatan Valenzuela, who made the announcement on Monday.

In a video statement, the Chilean prosecutor’s office confirmed that it is investigating the president as a “defendant” for the alleged distribution of those images, but did not mention the sexual harassment accusation.

The government, for its part, dismissed the allegations as unfounded. Presidential spokesperson Camila Vallejo, who addressed the issue on Tuesday, stated that the action lacked “merit” and claimed that, on the contrary, it was the complainant who allegedly “systematically” harassed Boric through emails.

Advertisement

20240920_mh_amnistia_fiscal_728x90

20240813_lechematerna_728x91

20240701_vacunacion_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

20230816_dgs_728x90

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

CEL

The legal action was filed on September 6, more than a decade after Boric and the complainant crossed paths during a professional internship in Punta Arenas, the president’s hometown.

At that time, Boric was 27 years old, had finished his law studies, and was already a prominent figure as a student leader. In 2014, he was elected as a deputy for that region.