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2025-01-11   

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By Renju Jose and Byron Kaye SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia moved closer on Wednesday to banning social media for children under 16 after the parliament's lower house passed a bill even as Alphabet's Google and Facebook-owner Meta pressed the government to delay the legislation. Marking some of the toughest social media controls in the world, Australia's House of Representatives passed the bill 102 votes to 13 after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's centre-left Labor government secured bipartisan support for the ban. The Senate is expected to debate the bill later on Wednesday, with the government keen to ensure it is passed by the end of the parliamentary year on Thursday. Albanese, trying to lift his approval ratings ahead of an election expected in May, has argued that excessive use of social media poses risks to the physical and mental health of children and is looking for support from parents. The planned law would force social media platforms to take reasonable steps to ensure age-verification protections are in place. Companies could be fined up to A$49.5 million ($32 million) for systemic breaches. Australia plans to trial an age-verification system that may include biometrics or government identification to enforce the ban. A Senate committee backed the bill this week, but also inserted a condition that social media platforms should not force users to submit personal data such as passport and other digital identification to prove their age. The committee added that the government must "meaningfully engage" with youth when framing the law. "Young people, and in particular diverse cohorts, must be at the centre of the conversation as an age restriction is implemented to ensure there are constructive pathways for connection," committee Chair Senator Karen Grogan said. In submissions to parliament, Google and Meta said the ban should be delayed until the age-verification trial finishes, expected in mid-2025. Bytedance's TikTok said the bill needed more consultation, while Elon Musk's X said the proposed law might hurt children's human rights. IMPACT ON FAMILIES The ban was first announced during an emotionally charged parliamentary inquiry into social media, which included testimony from parents of children who had self-harmed due to cyber bullying. It has fuelled vigorous debate with youth advocates arguing it robs children of a voice and parent groups saying under-16s are too young to navigate the digital world. Teenagers have said the law could cut them off from their most important social and family connections, arguing a ban is not the solution. "I understand that using social media a lot is not a good thing and I'm working on it," said Sydney high-school student Enie Lam, 16. "But a ban is not going to work," she said. Albanese's party, which does not control the Senate, won crucial support from the opposition conservatives for the bill, but has failed to win over the left-leaning Greens and some far-right lawmakers on civil liberties and privacy grounds. One conservative lower house member broke from their party and voted against the bill on Wednesday, a rare event in Australian politics, and two conservative senators said they also would vote against it, arguing the law should be delayed until the age-verification trial was complete. Even the Australian Human Rights Commission, an independent statutory authority, opposed the ban saying it violated children's rights to self-expression and to participate in society. Still, polling shows public support overwhelmingly in favour of the move. A YouGov survey released this week showed 77% of Australians backed the ban, up from 61% in August. Australian media, from the publicly owned Australian Broadcasting Corp to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, also support the ban. An editorial campaign by News Corp, the country's biggest newspaper publisher, pushed for the ban under the banner "Let Them Be Kids". "Our members feel that this is one of the biggest issues impacting on themselves and their families at the moment," said Jenny Branch-Allen, president of the Australian Parents Council, an advocacy group. "Big companies have to start taking responsibility. Let's try and reduce the incidents we're hearing involved with social media and young people in Australia." ($1 = 1.5451 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Sonali Paul and Kate Mayberry)

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Intensifying competition between dominant e-marketplaces Shopee, Lazada and new market entrant Temu, a continuation of commission fee hikes, and the video commerce war are expected to be among Thailand's e-commerce trends in 2025. According to e-commerce pioneers, the trends include a rise of affiliate marketing and recommerce, the latter referring to sales of previously owned new or used products to buyers who repair, reuse, recycle or resell the products. Thanawat Malabuppha, honorary president of the Thai e-Commerce Association, said Thailand is expected to see a greater influx of Chinese products in 2025 as Shopee and Lazada are offering new features, namely Shopee Choice and Lazada Choice, respectively. These choices refer to consignment products or goods that both players procure directly from sellers in order to bargain for the best price possible. After that, Lazada and Shopee set their own prices on the items and carry out their own marketing. Paul Srivorakul, group chief executive of aCommerce, a Southeast Asian e-commerce enabler, said the consignment model reflects a strategic move by both Lazada and Shopee to counter Temu in the Thai market. Mr Paul added that it is challenging to execute the model effectively. While Temu excels at integrating marketing with merchandising, supply chains and logistics, Lazada and Shopee may struggle to replicate this level of operational precision quickly. The consignment model demands tight inventory control, real-time data management, and efficient supplier coordination -- areas in which Temu has a head start, Mr Paul added. He said that for Lazada and Shopee to achieve similar success, they will require significant investment in infrastructure and operational enhancements. The value of Thai e-commerce is expected to reach 1.1 trillion baht in 2024, up 14% year on year, and is expected to continue to grow to 1.6 trillion baht in 2027, Mr Thanawat said. The 14% rate represents a lower growth rate than that recorded in 2021 (18% year-on-year) and in 2022 (19% year-on-year). One factor causing the slow growth rate is the e-marketplaces' decision to continue to hike commission fees. Mr Thanawat said affiliate marketing is driving buying decisions. According to a joint survey conducted by Cube Asia and impact.com of consumers in Southeast Asia, 83% of the 400 Thai respondents chose to purchase products promoted by influencers, mainly in the beauty and fashion categories. The survey, conducted in August 2024, reached 2,121 respondents. LIVE COMMERCE MAKES GAINS The survey also found that commercial live streaming has reached mass adoption in Southeast Asia. Around 90% of Thai respondents said that in the last 12 months they had watched at least one live commerce platform, of which 86% viewed TikTok, 57% viewed Shopee, 52% viewed Facebook, 47% viewed Lazada, and 18% viewed Instagram. "We see those platforms have increased the period of live streaming to attract a greater audience," said Mr Thanawat. Mr Paul added that social and video commerce are reshaping e-commerce in Southeast Asia, with platforms like TikTok Shop and live-streaming on Lazada and Shopee leading the way. YouTube and Meta are also entering the space of video commerce through partnerships with Shopee. In the region, video commerce is boosting Southeast Asia's e-commerce, gaining 20% of the sector's total gross merchandise value in 2024, compared to less than 5% in 2022, according to a report jointly produced by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company titled "e-Conomy SEA 2024 – Profits on the Rise, Harnessing SEA's Advantage". Mr Paul also sees omnichannel retailers expanding into e-marketplaces, retail media, and recommerce. "Traditional omnichannel retailers are diversifying by adopting their own marketplace platforms, retail media and omnichannel advertising, and recommerce models to compete with established e-commerce marketplace platforms," he added. Cross-border e-commerce is expanding as Southeast Asian consumers increasingly seek international products or purchase from overseas sellers on regional marketplaces, Mr Paul said. Mr Paul also sees the use of e-commerce analytics as providing deeper consumer insights.Payman launches attack on HansonWeek 12 TNF: Steelers-Browns Preview, Props & Prediction

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