00:01I think the really critical aspect to this is that idea that we give a little bit of control, at
00:07least, back to the users themselves.
00:09We know that algorithms, they are technically personalized to a certain degree, but they are also very much driven by
00:16the desires of the platforms themselves in terms of the kinds of content that they feel is the most engaging.
00:22And, of course, engagement has been this critical issue where they are opting towards the sorts of content that actually
00:30is more extreme because that's the kind of thing that gets people reacting, gets people commenting and sharing.
00:37And ultimately, that's the sort of content that then arrives in everybody else's feeds as well.
00:42So it isn't actually all that personalized in the end.
00:45It's something that is technically personalized, but is also driven by this larger ecosystem of content that is pushing engagement
00:53at its primary focus.
00:55So we are expecting those draft laws this week.
00:58How would it actually work in practice, do you think?
01:03Yeah, look, I think that's going to be a big question is the idea of how exactly an opt out
01:07will work.
01:08I think it's really important that I know a lot of debate around that question of making it opt in
01:14for the algorithm has been debated.
01:16But even with an opt out, we need to then think about how will that be put in front of
01:20the user?
01:20How often will they be able to consider that or reconsider it?
01:25Perhaps they say no at the start, but is it easily accessible within the setting system?
01:31Right now, some platforms have that option there, but it's very hard to get to.
01:35And then it will also re-default you to the standard algorithm again after a little while.
01:42So it's just so hard to give user control.
01:44And I think that needs to be stipulated in this sort of argument.
01:47And of course, not just for kids, but for absolutely everybody who uses these platforms.
01:50I think a lot of people have asked for these options, but they haven't necessarily been able to get access
01:56to them.
01:57So, yeah, that's going to be really critical here.
01:59And Seamus, Australia was the first country in the world to implement a social media ban for children.
02:05Is it also taking the lead on algorithms?
02:09Yeah, so I think there's an element here where there was a recent decision in the US that the settlement
02:16that Meta, the platform behind Facebook and Instagram,
02:19they entered into a settlement deal with attorneys general in America.
02:25And they actually, as part of that deal, were saying that they were going to set new defaults for young
02:31users.
02:31And that included things like having chronological feeds.
02:36So only seeing your friends content as opposed to algorithms.
02:39So that was definitely a big leading point here.
02:42And I think it's good that this is coming quickly off the back of that, because there were a lot
02:46of questions of saying,
02:46if that's only going to be given to Americans, we want this sort of access to control for users here
02:53as well.
02:53So I think definitely Australia's played a big leadership role.
02:56A lot of countries in the world have been watching the results of our leadership here when it comes to
03:01under 18 or under 16's access in that context.
03:05But I think, yeah, everybody wants more for all users as well in terms of these controls.
03:11And so I think that will be a really positive aspect of getting this right here as well.
