☕️ How the social media ban works

I’ve got a big question for you:

If that question felt more like a riddle, you have successfully insulated yourself (somehow) from The Summer I Turned Pretty. The final episode comes out later today, and you should probably have a team by then.

While it’s tempting to leave that question as the Wednesday Riddle, here’s your TV-themed edition. Match these cryptic antonym titles to their hit TV shows:

Answers are in the Titbit!

"Our priority is to introduce this technology in a way that is safe, reliable and supports our staff. This is a careful, staged rollout, supported by training and clear guidelines, so that staff can use AI responsibly and in ways that reflect UNSW’s values."
UNSW’s Chief Information Officer, Chrissy Burns, speaking after the university announced it's signed a deal with OpenAI. Under the agreement, 10,000 UNSW staff will have access to the ChatGPT Edu platform.

$US1 billion ($AU1.5 billion)
The value of around 2.5 million Tesla shares bought by the company's CEO Elon Musk last week. The company's share price increased by around 6% after Musk announced the purchase.

Desultory [DES-uhl-tor-ee]
Definition: Lacking purpose, plan, or enthusiasm; aimless.
Used in a sentence: "Their desultory study habits led to poor exam results."

The convicted con artist at the centre of the 2022 documentary ‘The Tinder Swindler’ has been arrested in Georgia, following a warrant issued by the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol).

Shimon Yehuda Hayut, also known as Simon Leviev, was detained by local authorities at an airport in the country’s south-west on Sunday (local time)

The 34-year-old was convicted of fraud in 2019 after scamming women across Europe through the dating app Tinder.

A 2022 documentary released on Netflix detailed the investigation into Israeli-born Shimon Yehuda Hayut, who allegedly carried out a love scam under a fake identity.

Pretending to be the son of diamond tycoon Lev Leviev, Hayut would match with women on Tinder and shower them with expensive gifts.

It’s alleged he lured women into romantic relationships before emotionally manipulating them into loaning him as much as $AU15 million.

Hayut has previously denied the allegations and insisted he made his money through cryptocurrency.

Hayut was arrested in Greece in 2019 and extradited to Israel, where he was convicted on four fraud-related charges.

The charges related to some of the women who have accused him of fraud.

He served five months in prison after being released early from a 15-month sentence. He was also ordered to pay more than $AU71,000 in compensation to his victims, as well as around $AU9,000 for carrying a fake passport.

On Sunday local time, Hayut was taken into police custody after Georgian authorities confirmed they had received an arrest warrant from Interpol.

It’s not yet clear which country filed the warrant.

Hayut’s lawyers told Israeli media they have not been told why he was detained.

Hayut has an outstanding legal claim against him, lodged in Israel last year by another one of his alleged victims.

Reporting by Achol Arok.

More details about the Government’s social media age ban have been released, with the online safety watchdog announcing guidelines for platforms to follow.

The ban comes into effect in December.

Earlier this month, the Government released the results of its trials of age verification systems. Platforms that fail to stop under-16s from making accounts could face fines of up to $49.5 million.

The Government’s ban on children under 16 using social media passed Parliament in November 2024, following a public campaign to protect young people’s mental health.

Social media companies, including Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and Snap Inc (Snapchat) could face fines of around $50 million if under-16s make an account on their platforms.

YouTube was initially exempt, but has since been included. Messaging apps and online gaming platforms won’t be covered by the ban.

On Tuesday, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant outlined a series of “reasonable steps” social media platforms must implement by 10 December.

Enforcement will fall on the platforms rather than individual users. Companies will be expected to do more than rely on users self-declaring their age, and instead adopt a “layered approach” to age-verification systems.

This includes detecting and deactivating accounts belonging to underage users.

The guidelines also encourage social media platforms to consider introducing systems that can determine users’ locations, to prevent Australian children from accessing their services.

Tech giants will be required to maintain transparency about their age-assurance measures.

This includes disclosing what systems are in place, and what personal information will be collected and stored.

The eSafety Commissioner said the guidelines were informed by consultations with 165 organisations.

Inman Grant is meeting with American tech companies in California next week to continue discussions.

Communications Minister Anika Wells said social media companies have “no excuse not to be ready” for the ban.

“Age assurance technology is already being used increasingly and prolifically by social media platforms for other purposes... There is no excuse for them not to use that same technology to protect Australian kids online,” Wells said.

The Coalition, which met with the eSafety Commissioner ahead of today’s announcement, flagged concern about data protection if circumstances “get to a stage where digital ID is required”.

Shadow Communications Minister Melissa McIntosh told Sky News mandatory digital IDs would be “where we step over the mark.”

“We currently have our data stored in foreign servers. We have foreign satellites in our skies. We are giving our AI away to foreign big tech companies. I want our data stored here at home for the Australian people,“ McIntosh said.

Reporting by Achol Arok.

If your feed’s been full of cobblestoned streets, spritzes on the beach and golden sunsets in Europe, you’re not alone.

The good news? Aussie summer is just around the corner, which means now’s the perfect time to start planning your own getaway - you deserve it!

Whether it’s Bali, Japan, South East Asia or even a Euro winter escape, TID has been helping Aussies focus on the fun for over 20 years. With four plans, they make travel insurance easy - with cover available for 100+ destinations, overseas medical costs, cancellations and luggage drama.

Plus, if you love a discount code, TDA readers can get 15%* off TID travel insurance with the code TDA15 - valid until 30 October 2025. *T&Cs apply.

🍊 Kurtis Marschall leaps to bronze at world championships. Details here.
🍊 Scottie Scheffler puts his name in the history books. Again.
🍊 The Newcastle Knights have a new coach. Read more here.
🗞️ Also in the Sport Newsletter: tennis, rugby union, and more…

U.S. not-for-profit Goodwill collaborated with local designer Evan Hirsch to shine a light on sustainability this fashion week. The show, held on Monday, featured dozens of looks, which Hirsch sourced entirely from Goodwill stores around the U.S. Organisers described the show as “an incredible celebration of bold self-expression, sustainable fashion, and the beauty of secondhand finds.” Outfits featured in the show will be up for sale in an upcoming online charity auction. 

Want more good news? Sign up to our weekly Good Newsletter here - we promise it’ll make your week better!

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

Today is a huge day for the TDA office, and likely a big one for you too.

The much-anticipated finale of The Summer I Turned Pretty is out tonight.

In case you haven’t been following, The Summer I Turned Pretty is a teen romance show that has taken the internet by storm, with the first season releasing in 2022.

We’ll watch as Belly makes the decision we’ve all been waiting for. (TDA is firmly Team Conrad)

Whatever the outcome, we’ll always have summer.

Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

Riddle answers:

In the past two weeks, both Poland and Romania have reported Russian drones flying in their airspace. Importantly, NATO forces shot down Russian aircraft for the first time in the alliance's 75-year history. Both countries are neighbours of Ukraine, which continues to face Russian airstrikes and ground offensives as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues.

But there’s a key difference between an attack on Ukraine, and an attack on Poland or Romania - and that’s NATO. On today’s podcast, we’re going to take a look at what makes Russian activity in Poland and Romania different, the idea of collective defence, and the broader implications.