Generative AI is reshaping the social media feed — cutting out creators, brands and even users — as platforms chase cheaper content and tighter control of attention.
Social media
The Coalition has softened its rhetoric on TikTok after months of urging Labor to follow the US push to force ByteDance to divest or face a ban.
TikTok has used its response to consultation over Treasury's 'ex-ante' digital competition regime to take a swipe at YouTube and Google.
More than 50 companies including Japan's Fujitsu and US unicorn Incode have entered the race to supply age verification tech for the government.
TikTok argues that Labor's decision to give YouTube a blanket exemption from its new social media age rules would entrench the platform's market dominance.
With Trump targeting global tech regulation, Australia’s media and tech sectors are bracing for impact. But the fallout may not be as clear-cut as it seems.
A key media lobby group has been assured that work on a planned levy on US tech giants will not be abandoned despite fears of blowback from the White House.
Dialogue Consulting’s long-running competition lawsuit against Meta will force the tech giant to hand over board documents on competitors, including X and TikTok.
The ban for children 16 and under means Meta, TikTok and Snapchat can be fined up to $50 million but Google's YouTube is set to secure an exemption from the law.
Google's YouTube, some messaging services such as WhatsApp and online games secured exemptions from the government's ban on social media for children under 16.
The opposition’s home affairs spokesman has called on Labor to coordinate with the incoming Trump administration over its approach to TikTok.
Donald Trump's TikTok win and meme coin launch just days before his inauguration are further evidence that tech's influence on US politics — and its returning president — is rapidly accelerating.
The Australian 'link in bio' unicorn, last valued at $1.3 billion, would feel the impact if a US TikTok ban ultimately goes through.
In the lead up to the weekend, Australian advertisers were mostly unconcerned and expected ad spending to continue flowing to TikTok despite a ban on the app in the US.
If the first full week of 2025 is anything to go by, expect a year of fractured politics, social media mischief and... well, who knows what else?
The Meta CEO signalled plans to align with Donald Trump to resist the efforts of foreign regulators. In response, Labor has vowed to enforce its new levy.
Mark Zuckerberg's decision to end fact-checking at Meta is clearly linked to US politics and the return of Donald Trump. But it will have ramifications globally, including in Australia.
The election watchdog says it will monitor changes to social media platforms following Meta's decision to end third-party fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram in the US.
Meta's deals with Australian fact-checkers remain safe — for now. However, with plans to expand the move to other markets, the agreements could be at risk.
TikTok has a final shot at preventing a US ban after the Supreme Court agreed to consider its case. Millions of young Americans, Donald Trump and the Australian government will be watching closely.
Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones took meetings with several media executives in the months before taking media reforms to cabinet. But he did not meet with two of the platforms captured by Labor's new tech levy.
The lobby group for independent publishers has thrown its support behind Labor's new tech levy, but TikTok has hit out at the policy, while LinkedIn owner Microsoft is still silent.
