The federal Attorney General, Mark Dreyfus, has released the Report from his Department’s Review of the Privacy Act 1988. The proposed reforms are aimed at strengthening the protection of personal information and the control individuals have over their information. The government is calling for public comment by 31 March.
Commentary from Mumbrella here and from Lexology here.
AMA supports curbs on junk food ads
The AMA joined a Roundtable of Allies in the fight against junk food marketing, which met in Canberra on 10 February, to discuss policies to reform the sector. The meeting was hosted by the Hon Sophie Scamps MP.
Deadlines
28 February: The Senate Committee on Economics is inquiring into a range of issues related to international digital platforms. These include the collection and processing of children’s data, particularly for the purposes of profiling, behavioural advertising, or other uses; and the adequacy and effectiveness of recent attempts, in Australia and internationally, to regulate the activities of such international digital platforms.
3 March: The Australian Government is developing an Early Years Strategy to shape its vision for the future of Australia’s children and their families. It seeks your views on what should be included in the strategy via this survey or you can make a submission - see at 30 April.
eSafety Commission’s Youth Council gives message to Big Tech
The eSafety Youth Council is urging Big Tech to take more action when users abuse or harass others on online platforms, breaching the terms of service. Hear what the eSafety Youth Council has to say in their open letter to Big Tech.
Ad Standards appoints new community panel members
New members have been appointed to the AANA’s Ad Standards Panel which adjudicates on complaints about ads in any media. The present membership is here.
Do people understand data collection issues?
University of Philadelphia, Annenberg professor Joe Turow and other authors of the reportAmericans Can't Consent To Companies' Use Of Their Data, argue that many people don't understand how companies compile information well enough to make informed decisions about tracking. Instead, the authors say, policymakers should impose broad restrictions on advertisers' ability to target consumers based on data collected over time or across sites.
US conference calls for abstracts
The 2023 Digital Media and Developing Minds International Scientific Congress, 20-23 September in Washington DC is calling for abstracts. Sessions will cover the latest empirical research and solutions, and feature panel discussions, keynote presentations, and a poster session. Submissions due 17 March 2023.
Digital Tech use and sleep: QuT survey
Researchers from the Digital Child Centre are interested in understanding more about children’s daily patterns of digital technology use and sleep. They are looking for parents or caregivers of children who: are aged 5-8 years; attend school; and have access to digital technology at home (eg television, iPad, videogames). Information here.
Bluey’s music man puts a lot of time into choices
Lead composer from ABC TV's, Bluey, Joff Bush spends a lot of time on the program's soundtrack. He says “We'll spend more time talking about the concept the soundtrack's going to be than what I would do on a one-hour drama”. Listen to the interview here.
Production begins on children’s series based on Eddie Betts’ book
An animated television series inspired by the popular children’s books Eddie’s Lil’ Homies has commenced production in South Australia and Victoria and will air simultaneously on Netflix and National Indigenous Television (NITV). Eddie’s Lil’ Homies is the first co-commission between Netflix and NITV, with major production investment from the Australian Children’s Television Foundation .
Want to curb scary ads in family programs?
Queensland man Dane Smale has launched a petition through change.org. to get scary advertisements out of family programs and posters promoting horror films. Well worth supporting!
Impact of outdoor play
Outdoor play as a mitigating factor in the association between screen time for young children and neurodevelopmental outcomes by Mika Sugiyama, Kenji Tsuchiya, Yusuke Okubo et al in JAMA Pediatrics 23 January 2023Frequent outdoor play may mitigate the connection between higher screen time and later suboptimal neurodevelopment, implying potential for intervention.
Muscle dysmorphia symptomatology
Muscle dysmorphia symptomatology among a national sample of Canadian adolescents and young adults by Kyle T Ganson et al in Body Image vol 44March 2023 pp 178-186. The aim of this study was to describe muscle dysmorphia symptomatology among a large, diverse, and national sample of adolescents and young adults in Canada. Data from the Canadian Study of Adolescent Health Behaviors (N = 2256) were analyzed.
Captive market: protecting children in the new world of online advertising
A free webinar from the US Children and Screens on 1 March. Persuasive design, stealth advertising, advergames and paid influencers…parents and caregivers today grapple with increasingly complex and sophisticated strategies of marketing and advertising to children. How are these techniques impacting youth and what is being done about it?
Views on ChatGPT
ChatGPTrocketed into our world because of exponentially compounding advances in artificial intelligence programming, but will it be really helpful for us and our children? Here are two viewpoints: from Leslie Lobel (Sydney); from Axios (US).
New free program for teenagers with problematic gaming and screen habits
Macquarie University’s Associate Professor Wayne Warburton and Psychology Honours student Emily Kopp have been working to develop the program RES@T-A, which is for teens whose gaming interferes with at least one important area of their life such as schoolwork, relationships, mental health or physical health.
Parenting Research Centre’s 2022 Parent survey
In their 2022 survey, Helping Children Thrive, PRC (Vic) found that most parents feel confident in their parenting, and have someone they trust who they can turn to for support. However, the survey also found that many continue to be challenged by their child(ren)’s sleeping patterns or habits, and are concerned with their child(ren)’s technology usage.
My Fairy Troublemaker (G) is an animated adventure featuring bright graphics, an upbeat soundtrack and a predictable plot. The film contains universal messages about friendship and finding where you belong.
True Spirit(PG) is an inspiring story about a young girl’s courage and determination to achieve what she had always dreamed of doing. The film follows the story of Jessica Watson, who at 16 years of age, circumnavigated the globe The scenes of her little boat battling the huge waves are quite terrifying and the film is therefore best suited to families with children aged 9 and over.
The Amazing Maurice(PG), based on the book by Terry Pratchett, is an animated fantasy/fairy story, and fast moving adventure. The story is quite complex and rather dark in places and is therefore not suitable for children under 6.
Helping CMA
Please consider supporting CMA by buying a ticket (or more) in the People’s Choice community lottery before 2 March. There are great prizes to be won, and CMA receives 100% of what you spend. Here’s where to buy tickets.
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