Daily Caller
Australia Plans To Ban Social Media For Kids Under 16
From the Daily Caller News Foundation
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Thursday that he was proposing legislation banning social media for children under the age of 16.
Under the legislation, social media platforms will be required to prevent access to minors under 16 without exceptions for parental consent, Albanese announced at a press conference Thursday. The prime minister cited social media’s harm to children as the reasoning behind the proposal.
“Social media is doing harm to our kids, and I’m calling time on it,” Albanese said at the press conference. “This is world-leading legislation. We want to make sure that it is got right.”
“It’s something that is of enormous concern, and we know the social harm that can be caused and we know the consequences here,” Albanese continued.
Albanese clarified that the burden of protecting minors from social media will fall to the platforms, not parents, and that users will not be penalized for breaking this law. The nation will reconsider the legal definition of age-appropriate content so that minors will still have access to educational resources online.
The proposal is set to be reviewed by the cabinet on Friday and will go into effect 12 months after its passage, Albanese said.
“We know that social media offers many benefits to Australians … but we also know that it brings many harms,” Michelle Rowland, Australia’s Communications Minister, said at the conference. “I want to say to parents, just as the Prime Minister did, when it comes to protecting children from the harms caused by content or addictive behaviors as a result of social media, we are on your side. The fact is that social media has a social responsibility, but the platforms are falling short.”
Several U.S. states already enforce restrictions on social media for minors but allow for exceptions for parental consent, such as California and Florida. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called for policymakers to crack down on social media in May 2023, warning of a “profound risk of harm” for minors.
Daily Caller
Pastor Lectures Trump and Vance On Trans People, Illegal Immigrants
From the Daily Caller News Foundation
By Nicole Silverio
President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance visibly rolled their eyes as the Episcopal bishop of Washington, Mariann Budde, lectured them on being kind to transgender people and immigrants at Tuesday’s National Prayer Service.
Budde requested that the newly sworn-in president and vice president “have mercy” on gay, lesbian and transgender people as well as illegal immigrants who are allegedly “scared” by the new administration. The new leaders did not appear amused by her lecture, with Vance repeatedly shooting looks to his wife, Second Lady Usha Vance.
“In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy on the people in our country who are scared now,” Budde said. “There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives. And the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants, who work the night shifts in hospitals. They may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors, they are faithful members of churches and our mosques, synagogues and temples.”
WATCH:
Trump and Vance attended the National Prayer Service along with Usha, First Lady Melania Trump and their families at the Washington National Cathedral. The interfaith service was held to “offer prayers of thanksgiving for our democracy” at the beginning of the new administration, according to a statement from the National Cathedral.
Budde, a staunch critic of Trump since his first term, said during a phone call in 2020 that she was “outraged” by the president’s speech about the importance of law and order at St. John’s Episcopal Church after it was set ablaze by Black Lives Matter protesters. She further seethed at Trump for allegedly being given no notice that the area surrounding the church would be cleared with tear gas.
Trump signed a slew of executive orders Monday evening to terminate birthright citizenship for children born to illegal immigrants, declare a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border and to direct the federal government to only recognize two sexes, male and female.
An Axios/Ipsos poll from Sunday found that 66% of Americans support deporting immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally, an action that Trump had promised to enact throughout his campaign. The poll surveyed 1,025 adults between January 10 to 12 with a 3.2% margin of error.
A national poll by PPRI in June 2023 found that 65% of Americans believe there are only two genders. The poll surveyed 5,000 adults between March 9-23 with a 1.5% margin of error.
Daily Caller
Trump Takes Firm Stand, Exits Paris Agreement Again
From the Daily Caller News Foundation
By Mariane Angela
President Donald Trump issued an executive order Monday to remove the United States from the Paris Agreement.
The United States joins Iran, Libya, and Yemen as countries not part of the Paris Agreement, which seeks to limit global warming, the New York Times reported. Trump had previously pulled out of the agreement during his first term, only to see his successor, former president Joe Biden, re-enter it in 2021 after taking office.
This decision aims to increase fossil fuel production and reduce investment in clean energy technologies like electric vehicles and wind turbines, the outlet stated. Additionally, Trump notified the United Nations, which manages the Paris Agreement, of the U.S.’s withdrawal with a signed letter, setting the official exit to occur one year after its submission.
Trump has said in the past that the U.S. involvement in the Paris agreement harms America’s economic competitiveness and would not make a significant impact on the climate. He also said previously that the agreement was poorly negotiated and did not put American workers first.
The Biden administration implemented new emissions goals as part of its efforts to solidify its climate strategy. The Trump administration plans to deregulate the energy sector and roll back funding from Biden’s key climate initiatives. Since Nov. 5, members of Biden administration have distributed $1.6 billion in “environmental justice” grants, secured significant loans for green energy firms, empowered California regulators to influence the national auto market, and published a detailed analysis on the effects of liquefied natural gas exports, potentially hindering Trump’s efforts to expand them.
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