Australia’s government trial has found age-assurance for its under-16 social media ban can be done effectively and protect privacy, but there is not a one-size-fits-all model.

The report, from an independent company and released in full, also warns continued vigilance is needed on privacy and other issues.

It found some providers, in the absence of guidance, were collecting too much data, over-anticipating what regulators would require.

The ban on under 16s having their own social media accounts has been passed by parliament and comes into effect in December. It covers a wide range of platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube (which was recently added).

The measure is world-leading, and has been very controversial. One issue has been the degree of likely reliability of age verification.

The trial looked at various age assurance methods, including AI, facial analysis, parental consent and identity documents. The methods were judged on accuracy, usability and privacy grounds.

More than 60 technologies were examined from 48 age assurance vendors.

The report concluded age assurance systems “can be private, robust and effective.” Moreover there was “a plethora” of choices available for providers, and no substantial technological limitations.

“But we did not find a single ubiquitous solution that would suit all use cases, nor did we find solutions that were guaranteed to be effective in all deployments.” Instead, there was “a rich and rapidly evolving range of services which can be tailored and effective depending on each specified context of use.”

The age assurance service sector was “vibrant, creative and innovative,” according to the report, with “a pipeline of new technologies.”

It had a robust understanding of the handling of personal information and a strong commitment to privacy.

But the trial found opportunities for technological improvements, including ease of use.

On parental control systems, the trial found these could be effective.

“But they serve different purposes. Parental control systems are pre-configured and ongoing but they may fail to adapt to the evolving capacities of children including potential risks to their digital privacy as they grow and mature, particularly through adolescence.

“Parental consent mechanisms prompt active engagement between children and their parents at key decision points, potentially supporting informed access.”

The trial found while the assurance systems were generally secure, the rapidly evolving threat environment meant they could not be considered infallible.

They needed continual monitoring, improvement and attention to compliance with privacy requirements.

Also, “We found some concerning evidence that in the absence of specific guidance, service providers were apparently over-anticipating the eventual needs of regulators about providing personal information for future investigations.

“Some providers were found to be building tools to enable regulators, law enforcement or coroners to retrace the actions taken by individuals to verify their age which could lead to increased risk of privacy breaches, due to unnecessary and disproportionate collection and retention of data.”

Communications Minister Anika Wells said, “While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to age assurance, this trial shows there are many effective options and importantly that user privacy can be safeguarded.”

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

5G has been the fastest industry deployment, with more than two billion subscriptions in the six years of its commercial availability, yet the transformative power of full 5G remains largely untapped and will take the mass deployment of 5G Standalone to unlock 5G’s revolutionary potential, according to a whitepaper from Ericsson.

The Next wave of mobile innovation paper – written by Ericsson chief technology officer Erik Ekudden and mobile industry strategy consultant Chetan Sharma – presents the view that while the global roll-out of 5G has been unprecedented in speed, the true value lies in how deeply the technology is embedded into the industrial fabric of the global economies, with the real story of 5G’s impact set to be written in factories, ports, mines, energy grids, logistics hubs and research labs across the globe.

The paper discusses the strategic roadmap with actionable pathways for wireless industry leaders to capture maximum market value between 2025- 2030, while establishing the essential foundation for 6G leadership. It highlights global examples of 5G-driven successes spanning sectors.

The paper warns that the “staggering” 42% growth in overall 5G subscribers in 2024 creates a dangerous illusion of progress as only 26% of global operators – 163 out of 6,332 – have invested in standalone (SA) 5G, which the authors regard as the architecture that unlocks the full capabilities of the technology. They add that, without SA, operators are leaving value on the table: automation at scale, ultra-low latency, network slicing and mission-critical reliability.

And this isn’t just a technology gap – the authors describe it as “a strategic chasm that’s reshaping global competitiveness”, warning that with over 90% of SA customers concentrated in just three markets – China, India and the US – entire regions are being left behind in the race for next-generation digital infrastructure.

They added that the operators and nations moving decisively on SA today aren’t just building networks, they’re securing their position in the future economy while their competitors remain trapped in yesterday’s technology, mistaking 5G marketing for 5G reality.

Drilling down into use cases, the report shows how in industrial applications, 5G marks an important departure from earlier mobile technology cycles, where the emphasis is now as much on new access technologies as on the transformation of the core network. The paper sees the biggest opportunity in front of the industry is automation at scale where 5G has an important role to play.

It notes that service provider evolution is aligning well with enterprises who move from basic to significantly advanced automation, compute and connectivity solutions for whom the clear intention is that the more they automate, the higher the efficiency gains. It stressed how 5G is already being integrated into various facets of the enterprise supply chain and that from basic connectivity to a full suite of applications that run on 5G, the market for enterprise 5G for the mobile operators is already several billion dollars.

A key example is 5G in emerging sectors such as cloud robotics, which use the capabilities of cloud computing, AI, robotics with 5G networks and which are poised to significantly influence both corporate and consumer electronics sectors.

According to the report, the key lesson from 5G diffusion is decisive: national strength in general-purpose technologies comes from being fastest and most capable at scaling them across the economy. As the world moves toward 6G, the countries that will lead are those already laying the groundwork today – investing in comprehensive ecosystems that unite policy, capital and industrial integration. For them, the story of 5G will not be about the number of towers built, but about the number of industries transformed.

Suddenly, everyone is obsessed with magnesium supplements. It’s the key ingredient in #sleepygirlmocktails, powders stirred into tart cherry juice and prebiotic soda, a wellness cocktail for anxious millennials. Your coworkers are popping magnesium glycinate before bed instead of melatonin, because it allegedly cures insomnia, constipation, and existential dread. Folks seem especially concerned with optimizing their poop and pillow time. In the past year, Google searches for “which magnesium is best for sleep” and “which magnesium makes you poop” have more than doubled.

Magnesium is essential for maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system. It’s also one of the most abundant minerals in the human body, running more than 300 biochemical reactions, from protein synthesis to nerve function and blood sugar regulation. It supports bone structure and helps shuttle calcium and potassium across cell membranes, a process that allows for muscle contractions and normal heart rhythms.

You can get it from foods like legumes, leafy vegetables, and whole grains, or from fortified foods and dietary supplements. The question is: Do you need to supplement?

Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency

While an essential mineral for overall health, many people don’t get enough magnesium. This is partly because magnesium is predominantly found in high-fiber foods, and a significant portion of Americans do not consume sufficient fiber, according to registered dietitian Sue-Ellen Anderson-Haynes. Research confirms this: More than 90 percent of women and 97 percent of men fail to meet the recommended daily intake for dietary fiber.

Older adults are particularly at risk, as the body’s ability to absorb magnesium decreases with age. Health conditions like Crohn’s disease or kidney disease, alcohol use disorder, and the use of diuretics can all lead to magnesium depletion.

Anderson-Haynes notes that a magnesium deficiency (also known as hypomagnesemia) can result in a range of symptoms, such as headaches, nausea, constipation, tremors, heart palpitations, and muscle soreness. Chronic magnesium deficiency can increase the risk of developing high blood pressure, osteoporosis, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes.

Benefits of Magnesium Supplements

There are several forms of magnesium supplements, including:

• Magnesium citrate: Often taken as a remedy for occasional constipation.
• Magnesium glycinate: Often taken for better sleep and reduced anxiety.
• Magnesium oxide: Often taken for constipation or indigestion.
• Magnesium l-threonate: Often taken for better sleep, cognitive function, and reduced stress.
• Magnesium chloride: Often taken as an electrolyte replenisher and for its laxative effect.

Supplements are most useful for people with a confirmed deficiency, but early research suggests possible benefits for specific conditions, including migraines, insomnia, and cardiovascular disease.

“It’s really overlooked that magnesium can help with menstrual cycle irregularity in terms of making sure that you’re not having severe cramping,” says Anderson-Haynes, who adds it may also benefit women in perimenopause and menopause. Clinically, it may be part of the treatment for pregnancy complications like preeclampsia and eclampsia.

Can You Take Too Much?

The recommended dietary allowance is 320 milligrams per day for women and 420 milligrams per day for men. These are amounts most people can reach with a balanced diet; healthy kidneys regulate magnesium levels, excreting excess when magnesium intake is high and conserving it when it’s low.

Daily supplements under 350 milligrams are generally considered safe for healthy adults. “If you take too much magnesium, you’ll probably get diarrhea, because it loosens the bowels,” Anderson-Haynes says. Other side effects include nausea, gastrointestinal discomfort, and, at very high levels of magnesium (usually from overusing laxatives or antacids), low blood pressure, muscle cramps, breathing problems, and, in rare cases, cardiac arrest. People with kidney disease are at the highest risk of toxicity.

Should You Supplement?

For most healthy adults, magnesium supplements aren’t essential. If you struggle with migraines, insomnia, or other conditions where research suggests health benefits, they may be worth trying—but first talk to a health care professional.

Otherwise, focus on magnesium-rich foods. These include but are not limited to: legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas), leafy greens (artichokes, kale, spinach), whole grains (oats, barley, quinoa), nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts), fruit (bananas, avocado, dried apricots), and soy products (tofu, soy milk, edamame).

If you do decide to take any dietary supplements, “look for a seal or certification that says GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) or NSF,” says Anderson-Haynes, stressing the importance of third-party tests and verifications, considering the FDA doesn’t regulate dietary supplements in the US.

Meet the Experts

• Sue-Ellen Anderson-Haynes, MS, RDN, CDCES, is a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and founder of 360Girls&Women.

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