Part 5: Next Steps - Australia vs Social Media

This is the final episode of TPDi’s 5-part Tech Mirror mini-series, Australia vs Social Media: Inside the world-first online safety experiment. In this episode, we turn our attention to the future, looking at policy priorities for the Government going forward, including privacy law reform, a prohibition on unfair trading practices, competition codes, and the introduction of a digital duty of care. We also call on the Tech Mirror community to get involved and help shape Australian tech policy to make sure that it works well for everyone. Featured experts in this episode include Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind, Lizzie O’Shea from Digital Rights Watch, ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, and clinical psychologist Dr Danielle Einstein, author of The Dip, the Einstein Report & Co-author of Raising Anxiety. Links: PM Press Conference at Parliament House (30 July 2025) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv-ZQ6jyLxw Children’s Online Privacy Code, via the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-registers/privacy-codes/childrens-online-privacy-code Age appropriate design: a code of practice for online services, Information Commissioner’s Office (UK) https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/childrens-information/childrens-code-guidance-and-resources/age-appropriate-design-a-code-of-practice-for-online-services/ Regulatory reform in digital platform markets is needed to improve competition and consumer outcomes, via the ACCC (June 2025) https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/regulatory-reform-in-digital-platform-markets-is-needed-to-improve-competition-and-consumer-outcomes Minister for Communications announcement of duty of care obligations (November 2024) https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/rowland/media-release/new-duty-care-obligations-platforms-will-keep-australians-safer-online Statutory Review of the Online Safety Act 2021, led by Delia Rickard, released February 2025 https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/rowland/media-release/report-online-safety-act-review-released Minister for Communications Press Conference regarding digital duty of care survey (November 2025): https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/wells/transcript/press-conference-canberra-0 Minister for Communications media release on commitment to digital duty of care (November 2025) https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/wells/media-release/government-continues-commitment-online-safety Government survey on digital duty of care online (November 2025) https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/wells/media-release/government-continues-commitment-online-safety Credits Written and narrated by Johanna Weaver, Executive Director, Tech Policy Design Institute. Produced by Olivia O’Flynn & Kate Montague, Audiocraft. Research by Amy Denmeade. Original music by Thalia Skopellos. Created on the lands of the Ngunnawal, Ngambri people and the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. Special thanks to all the team at the Tech Policy Design Institute, without whom the pod would not be possible, especially Zoe Hawkins, Meredith Hodgman, and Dorina Wittmann.