60 Minutes S2024E37 - Charlotte's Wish, Sucked In

CHARLOTTE'S WISH
If the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has his way, from the end of next year children under 16 will be banned from social media. That's right, for Australian kids, soon there will be no more access to Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and all those other addictive apps. Taking on the world's tech giants is a bold move by the government, and there are valid questions about how such a ban might be enforced. As Adam Hegarty reports, if anyone needs a compelling reason for urgent action, they need only know the confronting and tragic story of 12-year-old Charlotte O'Brien. She was a victim of cruel bullying, much of it delivered online, and it was her wish that Australians understand the truth: Social media can kill.
Reporter: Adam Hegarty
Producer: Anne Worthington

SUCKED IN
It's hardly surprising, but once again Australians have been sucked in by the duplicity of "Big Tobacco" and its apologists. When that industry could no longer lie about the deadly effects of cigarettes, it promised to clean up its act. Its bosses started promoting vaping as an easy aid to quit smoking. But we now know that claim has turned out to be another untruth. What vapes have really done is hook a new generation – children – on nicotine. After years of indifference, the federal government has finally woken up to the ruse by introducing tough new laws making it illegal to import or sell vapes. However, in a joint investigation by 60 MINUTES, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Eryk Bagshaw discovers Canberra's crackdown on these products might already be too late to be effective.
Reporter: Eryk Bagshaw
Producer: Laura Sparkes