Governments say the under 16 social media ban is about protecting kids, but the biggest winners are the billionaires and media empires that have been campaigning for it. In this episode we break down what the ban really does, why the Murdoch machine pushed it, and how it quietly hands more control to corporate media while doing little to regulate the platforms causing the harm.
We look at the censorship creep, the data grab baked into the new rules, and why children will still find ways around it. Plus, we go inside the global push toward surveillance, free speech crackdowns and platform control
Some good may come from less toxicity online, but this is another step toward a world where governments and corporate giants decide what you can read, watch and say.
Michael West established Michael West Media in 2016 to focus on journalism of high public interest, particularly the rising power of corporations over democracy. West was formerly a journalist and editor with Fairfax newspapers, a columnist for News Corp and even, once, a stockbroker.
