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San Beda, Letran gun for NCAA Finals berth with separate foes

COLEGIO DE SAN JUAN DE LETRAN KNIGHTS — NCAA/VYN RADOVAN

Games on Friday
(MOA Arena)
Noon – CSB vs San Beda (Srs)
2:30 p.m. – Letran vs UPHSD (Srs)

BITTER rivals San Beda University (SBU) and Colegio de San Juan de Letran, the NCAA’s most titled college basketball teams, will try to close in on a chance at adding another championship to their vast collection as they shoot for the jugular against separate foes on Friday in NCAA Season 101 at the MOA Arena.

The SBU Lions were resolute in their 91-72 demolition of the College of St. Benilde (CSB) Blazers in the opener on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum and should be equally determined in Game Two in their duel at noon.

“We expect CSB to be tougher in Game Two and make adjustments,” said a weary San Beda coach Yuri Escueta.

“We just have to be ready,” he added.

The Letran Knights, for their part, had to outlast the Perpetual Help Altas in their own series opener to escape with a 77-73 win and should be locked and loaded again when they face off at 2:30 p.m.

A decider, if necessary, is set on Sunday back at the Big Dome.

San Beda aims for a league-best 24th senior cage championship while Letran tries to close the gap as it shoots for title No. 21, the second highest in the NCAA.

The Lions are expected to draw strength anew on their power duo of Agjanti Miller and John Sajonia, who erupted for 29 and 26 points, respectively.

Mr. Escueta stressed the Game Two result will hinge mostly on how his big men would respond to the challenge of facing reigning MVP Allen Liwag of CSB.

“I will continue to challenge my bigs because they have to guard him (Mr. Liwag) from the post and the perimeter and box him out at the same time,” he said. — Joey Villar

UST Growling Tigers’ Cabañero set for pro stint as one of country’s top collegiate players

UST GROWLING TIGERS’ NIC CABAÑERO — UAAP

THE KING TIGER is leaving the lair to strut his stuff in a tougher jungle of the professional world.

After playing his final year with University of Santo Tomas (UST) in the UAAP, Nic Cabañero is set for a much-awaited pro stint as one of the country’s top collegiate players and it looks like he will have a bountiful of options here or abroad.

Mr. Cabañero, also a former Gilas youth team, poured it all in his final hurrah with 24 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals as the Growling Tigers secured back-to-back bronze medal-finish after early exits in his first three seasons.

He also made it to the Elite Team as the league’s best scorer with 16.8 points, impressing enough scouts should there by any especially with the abundance of UAAP players in the overseas leagues like the Korean Basketball League and the Japan B.League.

Last year, two-time UAAP MVP Kevin Quiambao of De La Salle University and Finals MVP JD Cagulangan of University of the Philippines were the latest players to bring their acts abroad. While that’s an option for Mr. Cabañero, a local stint is also possible with the MPBL until October next year for the PBA Draft, where he is expected to be one of the lottery picks.

Those, however, can wait as Mr. Cabañero opted to savor the moment of his last leap with the Growling Tigers despite failing to deliver a championship.

Mr. Cabañero, a former Red Cub, started his first three seasons with only a six-win campaign before guiding the Growling Tigers to two straight Final Four appearances on top of his two Elite Team selections.

But for him, there’s more to it than just a basketball legacy after playing all his collegiate years with loyalty in España, with hopes of more players doing the same for academic reasons. The championship, which Santo Tomas last tasted in 2006, will eventually come along with that. — John Bryan Ulanday

Karl-Anthony Towns continues dominant play as New York Knicks sting Charlotte Hornets

KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS posted another double-double by finishing with 35 points and 18 rebounds on Wednesday night for the host New York Knicks, who never trailed in a 119-104 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

The double-double was the 16th in 21 games this season for Towns.

Jalen Brunson scored 26 points, Mikal Bridges had 16 points and Josh Hart and Miles McBride added 15 points apiece for the Knicks, who have won five of six.

LaMelo Ball sparked a late comeback bid by scoring 16 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter for the Hornets, who have lost 12 of their last 15. Ball added nine assists and eight rebounds.

Kon Knueppel and reserve Tidjane Salaun had 13 points each while Sion James added 11 points.

The Knicks led 27-12 at the end of the first and expanded the lead to 20 points at 41-21 on Towns’ layup with 7:46 left in the second. Ball and Knueppel had seven points apiece as the Hornets responded with a 26-9 run to pull within 50-47 with a minute remaining, but the teams combined for four consecutive turnovers before Brunson sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The Hornets pulled within three points twice in the first 63 seconds of the third before Towns and Bridges had eight points each in a 29-14 run that put the Knicks up 84-66 with 3:20 remaining in the quarter.

Charlotte’s Liam McNeeley hit a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 86-75 with 95 seconds left in the third, after which Brunson scored the final four points of the quarter to start an 11-0 run that gave the hosts a 97-75 lead with 9:28 left.

Ball answered with 13 points to spark a 21-7 run for the Hornets, who pulled within 104-96 on Salaun’s 3-pointer with 4:27 left. But McBride responded with a 3-pointer and Brunson converted an old-fashioned 3-point play on the Knicks’ next two trips and New York maintained a lead of at least 12 points the rest of the way.

Towns converted 13 of 23 from the floor, including 3 of 7 from distance, and converted 6 of 7 free throw attempts.

New York converted 23 of 27 from the charity stripe (85.2%), while Charlotte only missed twice on 21 attempts (90.5%).

The five Knicks starters accounted for 107 of the team’s 119 points. — Reuters

Chelsea loses ground at Premier League top with 3-1 loss at Leeds

LEEDS, ENGLAND — Chelsea’s Premier League title hopes suffered a major setback with a humbling 3-1 defeat at Leeds United on Wednesday, which lifted the host out of the relegation zone.

Leeds came into the game on the back of four consecutive defeats while Chelsea was on a run of three wins in four unbeaten league games but the tables were turned at Elland Road to ease the pressure on home manager Daniel Farke.

“We were so desperate to bring this club back to the top level, and Elland Road was tonight back to its best,” Farke told the BBC.

Chelsea remain on 24 points and slipped to fourth in the standings, three points behind third-placed Aston Villa who won 4-3 at Brighton & Hove Albion and nine points off leaders Arsenal after their 2-0 win over Brentford. Leeds are 17th on 14 points.

There was a real lack of urgency in Chelsea’s approach and they were made to pay as Enzo Maresca’s decision to make five changes from the side which started Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Arsenal backfired.

Leeds was on the attack from the off, Anton Stach had a volley blocked and Ao Tanaka fired wide from a good position in the area before they found the opener in the sixth minute from a corner.

Before the corner was taken, Enzo Fernandez screamed at his Chelsea colleagues, clearly unhappy with how they had started the game, but his words made little difference.

Stach floated the ball towards the near post where defender Jaka Bijol lost his marker and rose unchallenged to power a header past Robert Sanchez from outside the six-yard area.

While Chelsea continued to struggle to find a foothold in the game, Leeds had another chance from a corner, with Pascal Struijk heading wide.

Tanaka hit another poor effort when set up by Stach, but he more than made up for his misses when Fernandez gave away possession in his own half two minutes before the break.

Jayden Bogle teed up Tanaka who took a touch before letting fly with a ferocious shot from outside the box with the ball sailing into the bottom corner.

Chelsea substitute Pedro Neto got on the end of a Jamie Gittens cross to smash the ball home at the back post five minutes after halftime, and the comeback looked on.

Leeds had almost netted a third minutes earlier, Sanchez denying Lukas Nmecha with a reflex save, and the host soaked up plenty of Chelsea pressure before killing the game off.

“A great, great shift from my lads, great performance against one of the best sides in the world,” Farke added.

“They won the (Club) World Cup in the summer, they’re one of the contenders for the Premier League title, and then to win this game, also in this manner, and I would also say deserved by chances, expected goals, shots, shots on target.”

Cole Palmer, returning from injury, came off the bench for Chelsea to make his first appearance since September and pulled a shot narrowly wide as the visitors threatened to equalise, but they were again caught napping for Leeds’ third goal in the 72nd minute.

Noah Okafor dispossessed Tosin Adarabioyo in his own area and squeezed the ball past Sanchez for Dominic Calvert-Lewin to tap in and wrap up the win. — Reuters

Chiefs-Cowboys most-watched regular-season game in history

THE GAME between the Kansas City Chiefs and host Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day drew in an NFL regular-season record audience of 57.23 million viewers on CBS, the network announced on Wednesday.

Dak Prescott threw for two touchdowns to lead the Cowboys to a stirring 31-28 victory over Patrick Mahomes, who passed for four scores, and the Chiefs in a star-studded showdown.

The average of 57.23 million viewers shattered the previous record audience for a Thanksgiving Day game of 42.1 million, set in 2022 between Dallas and the New York Giants.

Viewership of the Chiefs-Cowboys game peaked at 61.357 million from 7:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET.

Fox Sports reported that its Thanksgiving Day game between the Green Bay Packers and host Detroit Lions drew 47.7 million. The Packers recorded a 31-24 victory over the Lions, with viewership peaking at 57.957 million from 4 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. ET. — Reuters

Chris Paul

For all the noise that has surrounded the Clippers’ winter unraveling, the moment that defined it arrived with no fanfare. Chris Paul, the face of their earlier rise to relevance and, recently, its elder statesman on a one-year farewell contract, was told to go home in the middle of a road trip. The decision was relayed with cold efficiency (“no longer with the team”) even as it cut through any nostalgia that remained from his supposedly triumphant return. It was abrupt, yes, but also inevitable for them amid an early season trapped between the grandness of their ambitions and the weight of misalignment.

By now, the story has been retold with enough detail to make the outline clear. At 40, Paul was signed to a role that appeared both practical and symbolic; in taking a final lap around the National Basketball Association on his terms, he was tapped to provide veteran steadiness though spot minutes. Sixteen games later, the numbers proved unforgiving: shrinking exposure and a string of DNPs leading to career lows all around. Worse was the chasm between him and head coach Tyronn Lue, which had reportedly lengthened with time. Across multiple reports, the fracture was deemed less dramatic than a blowup, but more corrosive in its persistence. In a league that thrived on relationship-building, the absence of one became a verdict in and of itself.

Naturally, the Clippers picked a side. Lue, a respected voice in the locker room and the steady center of years of turbulence, received a public vote of confidence. Meanwhile, Paul was released into a market with limited use for a point guard whose mind remains sharp but whose body reflects four decades’ worth of wear and tear. The decision was not punitive, they insisted, not a reflection of blame for the 5-16 start, not a repudiation of his legacy. Yet the optics were unmistakable: once eager to lean on veteran depth, they turned brittle in their search for clarity. And, nostalgia be damned, he had to be the casualty.

There is, of course, a wry contradiction baked into the development. The Clippers built a roster meant to draw on experience, only to confront the limits of age once their campaign veered off course. And, in this context, Paul was the most convenient lackey. At the same time, his exit underscores a harsher truth for the forever-second-class citizens of Los Angeles: the modern game has long left their structure behind. Youth, speed, and adaptability have become the league’s currency, unmasking the foibles of their desire to chase relevance with names that once carried them. Even Lue’s renewed mandate reflects the need to recalibrate sans sentimentality.

For Paul, this may well be the last hurrah; never mind that he has earned the right to craft his valedictory. His career remains storied, his influence without doubt to anyone who has watched point guards of the last two generations. That said, professional sports annals are littered with examples of fallen angels who stick too long and thus rarely stick the landing. His tale is as old as time, and offers the type of finality that marks the end of long journeys: expected on paper, jarring in execution, and true to the league’s habit of moving on before the farewell banners can be formally raised.

 

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.

DepEd backs expansion of subsidy for private school teachers 

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday said it supports the expansion of the Teachers’ Salary Subsidy (TSS) to all basic education teachers in private schools nationwide. 

“We are open to expanding it…I think that’s really the spirit of the law, whatever is needed to really support our private schools,” Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” M. Angara said at a conference. 

This comes after Ateneo de Naga University President Aristotle C. Dy inquired about expanding the program to grade school and senior high school (SHS) teachers. 

“The more I am exposed to smaller private schools, sometimes I am shocked at the salaries of the teachers,” Mr. Dy said. “In many schools, salaries of teachers are not even half of DepEd teachers’ wages.” 

The Private Education Association Committee (PEAC), which administers the Education Service Contracting (ESC) and TSS programs, said that the annual government subsidy is for qualified teachers in ESC-participating junior high schools. 

The TSS is part of the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE) program outlined under the Republic Act No. 8545, also known as the Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act. 

In August, the Education department increased the TSS for eligible private school teachers from P18,000 to P24,000, effective for the School Year (S.Y.) 2025-2026. 

“I don’t think complementarities are a static thing or a static concept. It must evolve over time, and definitely, we don’t want all teachers migrating to the public sector,” Mr. Angara said. 

“It’s important that as they develop relationships in their schools, with their students, with their communities, it’s also important that there’s some stability in these relationships,” he added. 

In S.Y. 2023-2024, the PEAC reported that around 3,600 institutions nationwide are ESC-participating schools, while 894,273 students were considered ESC grantees. — Almira Louse S. Martinez

PHL records 55 HIV cases daily, young patients increasing 

PHILIPPINE STAR/ANDY ZAPATA

A health expert on Tuesday said that the increase in daily human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease cases among young Filipinos pushes the infection to nearly 200,000 patients nationwide by yearend. 

“Globally, the trend of HIV is declining. Meanwhile, in our country, it is still rising… This is quite alarming,” Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist Jo-Anne A. de Castro said in a media conference. 

“The average case per day is 55 cases, and this is quite high,” she added. 

According to Ms. de Castro, HIV is a virus that attacks cells, usually the white blood cells (WBC), that help the body fight infection. “There’s no cure, but it is a treatable disease.” 

Data from the Department of Health (DoH) found that the number of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) is expected to increase to about 252,800 by the end of the year. 

The agency added that over 5,500 new HIV cases were reported from July to September this year. 

Citing the DoH, Ms. de Castro said that NCR has the highest cases nationwide, followed by CALABARZON, Central Luzon, Central Visayas, SOCCSARGEN, Western Visayas, and Davao. 

“For the 15 to 24 years old, they’re about 34%, or about a third,” she said. “And for those children who are less than 15, it’s about less than 1%.” 

While HIV is often transmitted sexually, the specialist underscored that it can also be acquired through needles, pregnancy, breastfeeding, blood transfusion, biting, organ transplant, and occupational exposure. 

With the majority of the recorded cases in the country being male, Ms. de Castro also noted that anal sex had the highest risk for the sexually transmitted infection. 

“In anal sex, the one which is the receptive one, or the bottom, is the one with the higher risk compared to the top,” she said. 

“Because the lining of the rectum is so thin, if there’s a break there, the bodily fluids can be transmitted there,” she added. 

To address the rising cases, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) announced on Monday that it has increased its Outpatient HIV/AIDS Treatment (OHAT) Package by 95%. 

The treatment package offers annual coverage that has expanded from PHP 30,000 to PHP 58,500. 

“The news that the number of PLHIV (people living with HIV) is getting younger is alarming,” PhilHealth Acting President and Chief Executive Officer Edwin M. Mercado said in a statement on Monday. 

“We call on the parents of the youth to support and let them feel that they are not alone and that a future awaits them through early prevention and regular care under our YAKAP Clinics,” he added. — Almira Louise S. Martinez 

Trump proposes slashing fuel economy rules in boost for gas vehicles

US PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald J. Trump is set to assume office on Jan. 20, 2025. — REUTERS

WASHINGTON — President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday proposed slashing fuel economy standards that former President Joseph R. Biden had finalized last year, in a push to make it easier for automakers to sell gasoline-powered cars.

Mr. Trump’s action aims to undo one of Mr. Biden’s signature climate moves as he sought to incentivize more electric vehicle (EV) purchases. “People want the gasoline car,” Mr. Trump said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed significantly reducing the fuel economy requirements from model years 2022 to 2031, requiring 34.5 miles per gallon on average by 2031, down from 50.4 miles per gallon (21.4 km per liter).

NHTSA is proposing to revise down the 2022 fuel economy standards and then proposing to hike them between 0.25% and 0.5% annually through 2031. In 2022, under Mr. Biden, NHTSA increased fuel efficiency by 8% annually for model years 2024-2025 and 10% for 2026.

Mr. Biden’s rules sought to prod automakers to build a rising number of EVs to comply but would not have forced an immediate end to gas-powered vehicles.

NHTSA estimates the proposed rule would reduce average up-front vehicle costs by $930 but would increase fuel consumption by around 100 billion gallons through 2050 — and cost Americans up to another $185 billion for fuel and increase carbon dioxide emissions by about 5%.

Reducing the rule for past years will make it much easier for automakers to comply for a period still being reviewed by NHTSA. Automakers would save $35 billion through 2031, including $8.7 billion for General Motors (GM) and more than $5 billion for Ford and Stellantis, according to a NHTSA document.

END TO CREDIT TRADING PROPOSED
The proposal will also make drastic changes to the program, including proposing to eliminate credit trading among automakers in 2028, and will end some credits for fuel-saving features. NHTSA said the credit trading was a “windfall for EV-exclusive manufacturers that sell credits to other non-EV manufacturers.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom said Mr. Trump is “proposing to gut fuel economy standards that will force Americans to spend billions more at the pump while poisoning the air in our communities.”

Transportation accounts for the single largest percentage of US greenhouse gas emissions.

NHTSA said the increase in vehicle emissions from its proposal in 2035 would be the equivalent of annual emissions from 7.7 million vehicles over the Biden proposal.

Earlier this year, Mr. Trump signed legislation that ended fuel economy penalties for automakers, and NHTSA said they faced no fines dating back to the 2022 model year.

Ending credit trading could hurt automakers like EV manufacturers Tesla and Rivian, which have sold credits to rivals making gas-powered models.

Mr. Trump was joined at the White House by the chief executive officers (CEO) of Stellantis and Ford to tout the proposal.

Ford CEO Jim Farley said the company would invest more in affordable vehicles. “Today is a victory for common sense and affordability… We believe that people should be able to make a choice.”

Mr. Trump said the price of vehicles was declining, but new vehicle prices are up 0.8% year over year as of the latest data for September. In October, Kelley Blue Book said the average price of a new car in the United States topped $50,000 for the first time, up 3.6% year over year.

GM CEO Mary Barra noted on Tuesday at an event that before Congress blocked California’s zero-emission vehicle rules in June, the auto sector was facing requirements in some states that 35% of new vehicles sold in 2026 must be EVs.

“We were going to have to start shutting down plants because we weren’t going to be able to build and sell those vehicles,” Ms. Barra said.

RULE WOULD HAVE CUT EMISSIONS
The agency last year said the passenger car and truck rule would reduce gasoline consumption by 64 billion gallons and cut emissions by 659 million metric tons, reducing fuel costs with net benefits estimated at $35.2 billion for drivers.

The 2022 rule was estimated to reduce fuel use by more than 200 billion gallons through 2050.

Kathy Harris, director of clean vehicles at environmental nonprofit the Natural Resources Defense Council, said, “The Trump administration is sticking drivers with higher costs at the pump, all to benefit the oil industry… Drivers will be paying hundreds of dollars more at the pump every year if these rules are put in place.”

Mr. Trump has taken a series of steps to make it easier to sell gas-powered vehicles and disincentivize EV production, including rescinding EV tax credits and barring California from banning the sale of traditional gas-powered vehicles after 2035. — Reuters

Flanked by business leaders, Macron meets Xi as EU prepares tougher trade rules

FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON — REUTERS

BEIJING — French President Emmanuel Macron met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, seeking stronger commercial ties, as the European Union (EU) prepares to toughen up its trade rules.

A large business delegation is accompanying Mr. Macron on his fourth state visit to the world’s second-largest economy.

Mr. Macron will travel to Chengdu in southwestern Sichuan province on Friday, accompanied by Mr. Xi, lavish treatment since the Chinese President seldom joins visiting leaders outside the capital, but Mr. Xi is not expected to sign off on a long-awaited Airbus order or offer Paris relief from duties on EU brandy imports, 99% of which come from France.

Beijing wants to ease trade frictions with Brussels over its heavily subsidized electric vehicle sector, which saw China slap retaliatory tariffs on some European goods, but it also recognizes that committing to a 500-jet Airbus order would weaken its leverage over the US, which is pressing for a Boeing deal, and over Europe as it prepares to unveil new economic security policies.

Mr. Macron in the past has sought to project a robust European front in dealing with China, while being careful not to antagonize Beijing, with China a key export market for many of France’s most prominent companies.

Top executives from Airbus, France’s largest bank BNP Paribas, electrical giant Schneider and train maker Alstom, along with leaders of the French dairy and poultry industry groups, have joined Mr. Macron, who will sign a series of agreements with Mr. Xi after their meeting.

China is France’s seventh-largest trading partner, buying around $35 billion in goods each year, according to Chinese customs data. About 10% of those products are cosmetics, with aircraft parts and alcoholic spirits among other key exports.

For its part, France takes some $45 billion worth of Chinese products, mostly low-value parcels through online platforms like Shein of cheap clothes, accessories and gadgets direct from Chinese factories, thanks to an EU customs waiver on purchases below €150 ($174.86). ($1 = 0.8579 euros). — Reuters

Child deaths will rise this year as aid cuts reverse progress, says Gates

PHILIPPINE STAR/NOEL B. PABALATE

LONDON — Around 200,000 more children will likely die before their fifth birthday this year than in 2024 as international aid cuts undermine decades of progress, the Gates Foundation said on Thursday.

The projected increase would mark the first rise in preventable child deaths this century, Bill Gates said, from an estimated 4.6 million in 2024 to 4.8 million this year. Child deaths have roughly halved since 2000.

“For decades, the world made steady progress saving children’s lives. But now, as challenges mount, that progress is reversing,” said Mr. Gates, chair of the eponymous foundation, in a foreword to its annual Goalkeepers report.

AID CUTS HAVE SPREAD BEYOND THE US
The report tracks progress towards the United Nations’ sustainable development goals on reducing poverty and improving health. It usually comes out in September but was delayed this year due to the uncertainty over global health funding.

International aid cuts began with the US at the beginning of the year but have since spread to other major donors like Britain and Germany. Overall, global development assistance for health fell by just under 27% this year compared to 2024, the report says.

The cuts are a key reason for the reversal in progress on child mortality, Mr. Gates said, although other issues, like countries facing mounting debt and fragile health systems, are also factors. Earlier this year, Mr. Gates warned that the cuts would lead to more children dying.

If the cuts are permanent, that could mean between 12 million and 16 million more child deaths by 2045, the report adds, depending on funding levels. This year, the increase in deaths could see them match 2023’s number, the latest year for which the World Health Organization has data.

The figures in the report are based on modelling from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at Washington University.

Mr. Gates urged governments and individuals to step up and focus on innovative new tools as well as proven solutions, like vaccination and investment in primary healthcare, to boost child health. — Reuters

Australia says the world will follow social media ban as Meta starts blocking teens

A person using a smartphone is seen in front of displayed social media logos in this illustration taken on May 25, 2021. — REUTERS

SYDNEY — Australia’s internet regulator said a teen social media ban would be the first domino to fall in a global push to rein in Big Tech, as Meta’s Instagram, Facebook and Threads began locking out hundreds of thousands of accounts ahead of a deadline next week.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said she had initially expressed concern about the “blunt-force” approach of blocking under-16s from social media, but she had come to embrace it after incremental regulatory changes were not effective enough.

“We’ve reached a tipping point,” Ms. Inman Grant said on Thursday at the Sydney Dialogue, a cyber summit.

“Our data is the currency that fuels these companies, and there are these powerful, harmful, deceptive design features that even adults are powerless to fight against. What chance do our children have?”

Governments around the world were watching as the Australian law takes effect on Dec. 10, and “I’ve always referred to this as the first domino, which is why they pushed back,” she added, referring to the platforms.

After more than a year campaigning against the ban which carries a fine of up to A$49.5 million ($33 million), platforms owned by Meta, TikTok, Snap’s Snapchat and Alphabet’s YouTube have said they will comply.

Some 96% of Australian teenagers under 16 — more than a million of the country’s 27 million population — have social media accounts, according to eSafety.

Although the law takes effect on Dec. 10, Meta’s Instagram, Facebook and Threads began deactivating accounts from Thursday, according to screenshots seen by Reuters.

Most other affected platforms have started contacting underage users advising them to download their photos and contacts and offering the choice of deleting their accounts or freezing them until they turn 16.

“It’s a great thing and I’m glad that the pressure is taken off the parents because there’s so many mental health implications,” said Jennifer Jennison, a Sydney mother.

“Give my kids a break after school and they can rest and hang out with the family.”

At the conference, Ms. Inman Grant said lobbying by the platforms had apparently involved taking their case to the US government, which has asked her to testify at its congressional House Judiciary about what it called an attempt to exert extra-territorial power over American free speech.

Ms. Inman Grant didn’t say if she would agree to the request but noted that “by virtue of writing to me and asking me to appear before the committee, that’s also using extra-territorial reach.” ($1 = 1.5140 Australian dollars). — Reuters

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