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Snapchat Blocks 415,000 Underage Accounts in Australia

Snapchat says teens may be skirting a social media ban in Australia (Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV)
Snapchat says teens may be skirting a social media ban in Australia (Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV)
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Snapchat Blocks 415,000 Underage Accounts in Australia

Snapchat says teens may be skirting a social media ban in Australia (Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV)
Snapchat says teens may be skirting a social media ban in Australia (Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV)

Snapchat has blocked 415,000 accounts under Australia's social media ban for under-16s, the company said Monday, but warned some youngsters may be bypassing age verification technology.

The platform urged the Australian authorities to oblige app stores to check users' ages as an "additional safeguard" for the world-first crackdown, AFP said.

Platforms including Snapchat, Meta, TikTok and YouTube must stop underage users from holding accounts under the legislation, which came into effect on December 10.

Companies face fines of Aus$49.5 million (US$34 million) if they fail to take "reasonable steps" to comply.

Australia's eSafety online regulator reported last month that tech giants had already blocked 4.7 million accounts, delivering "significant outcomes".

As of the end of January, Snapchat said it had blocked or disabled 415,000 Snapchat accounts in Australia belonging to under-16s.

"We continue to lock more accounts daily," it said in an online statement.

But the law leaves "significant gaps", Snapchat said, arguing that age estimation technology was only accurate to within two to three years.

"In practice, this means some young people under 16 may be able to bypass protections, potentially leaving them with reduced safeguards, while others over 16 may incorrectly lose access."

Snapchat joined billionaire Mark Zuckerberg's Meta in calling on Australia to require app stores to check users' ages before allowing downloads.

"Creating a centralized verification system at the app-store level would allow for more consistent protection and higher barriers to circumventing the law," Snapchat said.

The platform said it did not believe an outright ban was the right approach.

Snapchat said it understood Australia's objectives and wanted to protect people online, but did not agree its platform should be covered by the social media ban.

"In the case of Snapchat -- which is primarily a messaging app used by young people to stay connected with close friends and family -- we do not believe that cutting teens off from these relationships makes them safer, happier, or otherwise better off," it said.

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Technology

Meta, AMD Agree to Major AI Chips Deal

A 3D printed Facebook's new rebrand logo Meta is seen in front of a displayed AMD logo in this illustration taken November 9, 2021. (Reuters)
A 3D printed Facebook's new rebrand logo Meta is seen in front of a displayed AMD logo in this illustration taken November 9, 2021. (Reuters)
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Meta, AMD Agree to Major AI Chips Deal

A 3D printed Facebook's new rebrand logo Meta is seen in front of a displayed AMD logo in this illustration taken November 9, 2021. (Reuters)
A 3D printed Facebook's new rebrand logo Meta is seen in front of a displayed AMD logo in this illustration taken November 9, 2021. (Reuters)

American tech giant Meta has reached an agreement to purchase millions of powerful AI chips from processor manufacturer AMD, in which it could become a major shareholder, the two companies announced Tuesday.

The Facebook and Instagram giant is on a massive spending spree as it battles to keep up with Google, OpenAI and Microsoft in the generative AI race sparked by the release of ChatGPT in 2022.

Meta's deal with AMD comes only days after the company led by Mark Zuckerberg said it had agreed to deploy millions of processors over the next few years from AMD rival Nvidia.

The five largest US cloud and AI infrastructure providers - Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Oracle - have collectively committed to spending more than $650 billion on capital expenditure in 2026, nearly doubling 2025 levels.

AMD has committed to supplying Meta with up to six gigawatts worth of graphics processing units (GPUs), chips fundamental to powering artificial intelligence. AMD's stock jumped 6.5 percent at opening on Wall Street.

No dollar figure was provided in the joint communique, but the transactions represent a "double-digit" amount in billions of dollars, AMD CEO Lisa Su told analysts, according to Bloomberg.

"We're excited to form a long-term partnership with AMD to deploy efficient inference compute and deliver personal superintelligence," said Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Meta. "I expect AMD to be an important partner for many years to come."

In addition, AMD issued Meta a financial option that can be converted to shares that would make the social media giant a major shareholder if the chip company hits certain performance benchmarks in the coming years.

The Meta deal follows other major AI partnerships AMD has been striking as it seeks to gain ground on Nvidia, the AI chip powerhouse.

In October 2025, AMD and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI announced a very similar multibillion-dollar partnership, with OpenAI committing to purchasing six gigawatts worth of AMD chips.

Meta's doubling-down on AI is seen by some investors as a riskier bet than that of other tech giants.

Unlike Amazon, Microsoft, and Google, Meta doesn't have a cloud service and lacks a direct revenue stream tied to its AI investments. Meta says it benefits from AI through improved performance in its core digital ads business via better targeting.

The company has also been releasing AI features such as AI characters on its world-leading platforms, but in January Meta said it was temporarily suspending teenager access to them as it perfected the products.

Technology

YouTube Exec Says Goal Was Viewer Value Not Addiction 

Cristos Goodrow, vice president of engineering at YouTube, arrives outside the court to take the stand at trial in a key test case accusing Meta and Google's YouTube of harming kids' mental health through addictive platforms, in Los Angeles, California, US, February 23, 2026. (Reuters)
Cristos Goodrow, vice president of engineering at YouTube, arrives outside the court to take the stand at trial in a key test case accusing Meta and Google's YouTube of harming kids' mental health through addictive platforms, in Los Angeles, California, US, February 23, 2026. (Reuters)
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YouTube Exec Says Goal Was Viewer Value Not Addiction 

Cristos Goodrow, vice president of engineering at YouTube, arrives outside the court to take the stand at trial in a key test case accusing Meta and Google's YouTube of harming kids' mental health through addictive platforms, in Los Angeles, California, US, February 23, 2026. (Reuters)
Cristos Goodrow, vice president of engineering at YouTube, arrives outside the court to take the stand at trial in a key test case accusing Meta and Google's YouTube of harming kids' mental health through addictive platforms, in Los Angeles, California, US, February 23, 2026. (Reuters)

A landmark social media addiction trial resumed Monday with a YouTube executive insisting that the Google-owned company's aim was to give people value, not hook them on harmful binge-viewing.

YouTube vice president of engineering Cristos Goodrow was pressed to defend the company's self-styled "big, hairy, audacious goal," set more than a decade ago, to increase viewer time to more than a billion hours a day by 2016.

As he did last week when Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg testified in the same Los Angeles court, plaintiff's attorney Mark Lanier told jurors that Goodrow's compensation climbed with his company's share price, meaning he profited personally from ramping up user engagement.

"YouTube is not designed to maximize time," Goodrow replied, as he was shown company documents indicating that viewer engagement was a priority for performance at the platform.

"It's designed to give people the most value..."

As a counterpoint, Lanier had Goodrow detail the addition of features including viewing recommendations, auto-play for videos and ads, and a version of YouTube designed specifically for children.

The lawyer said these efforts enticed users to a "treadmill of continuous checking" for new content.

Goodrow contended "we don't want anybody to be addicted to anything" as Lanier pressed him about YouTube features crafted to keep viewers watching.

The executive pushed back against efforts by Lanier to put YouTube on par with social networks such as Facebook or Snapchat, stressing the platform was not a forum for friends to connect or for sharing vanishing messages.

And YouTube would see relentless scrolling by users as a failure, not a success, according to Goodrow.

"We want people to be able to watch what they want to watch as quickly as possible every time," Goodrow told jurors.

"If they scroll, they'll get kind of frustrated."

Lots of scrolling would also mean YouTube's vaunted recommendation software was not doing its job well, he added.

Lanier pointed to internal YouTube documents referencing outside research that found harmful effects from spending too much time watching videos.

Goodrow agreed that children should not be losing sleep watching YouTube, saying that is why the platform came up with features like view timers and prompts to take breaks.

- Kaley to testify -

The trial is set to last until late March, when the jury will decide whether Meta and YouTube bear responsibility for the mental health problems suffered by Kaley G.M., a 20-year-old California resident who has been a heavy social media user since childhood.

Kaley G.M. started using YouTube at age six, Instagram at nine, and later TikTok and Snapchat.

She is expected to testify this week - perhaps as early as Tuesday, according to her lawyers.

Zuckerberg testified last week that he regretted Meta's slow progress in identifying underage users on Instagram, as the plaintiff's legal team sharply criticized the company for deliberately targeting children.

The trial is the first in a series of lawsuits filed by American families against social media platforms and will determine whether Google and Meta deliberately designed their platforms to encourage compulsive use among young people.

The case is expected to set a standard for resolving thousands of lawsuits that blame social media for fueling an epidemic of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and suicide.

TikTok and Snapchat, also named in the complaint, reached settlements with the plaintiff before the trial began.

Technology

Saudi Arabia Joins Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence

Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) President Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi speaks at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. (SPA)
Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) President Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi speaks at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Joins Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence

Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) President Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi speaks at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. (SPA)
Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) President Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi speaks at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia has officially joined the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), an initiative hosted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and originating from the G7, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Saturday.

Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) President Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi made the announcement at the India AI Impact Summit 2026.

Al-Ghamdi emphasized that the accession to the GPAI underscores the Kingdom’s leadership in fostering the responsible and reliable use of AI. 

This strategic partnership aims to expand AI risk monitoring to the Middle East, aligning regional priorities with international standards and reinforcing the Riyadh Charter on AI to ensure ethical technological development for the benefit of humanity, he added.

Supported by Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, the membership aligns with Vision 2030 goals to localize advanced technologies and boost the digital economy's contribution to GDP.

By joining over 40 nations, Saudi Arabia will actively shape international AI standards, promote ethical and responsible AI use, and attract high-quality global investments into its robust regulatory environment.

Saudi Arabia ranks third globally in contributions to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development AI Policy Observatory, having submitted over 60 policies to support international governance.