Australia Bans Kids From Social Media, But Lets Gambling Ads Crash the Party
KEY POINTS
- •Reverend Tim Costello raised concerns about gambling ads targeting children during an RN Breakfast interview today.
- •Despite the legal ban on underage gambling, around 900,000 Australian youth gambled last year, highlighting enforcement issues.
- •The government introduced BetStop, a self-exclusion register aimed at combating gambling addiction and overseas gambling companies.
In a flawless display of priorities, Reverend Tim Costello, the Alliance for Gambling Reform's chief advocate, reported on RN Breakfast about Australia's genius strategy: kids under 16 can’t use social media — but are bombarded with gambling ads anyway. Despite gambling underage being illegal, a stunning 900,000 young Aussies gambled last year while the gambling industry appears to own our kids as if they were Pokémons. The government rolls out BetStop, a self-exclusion register, targeting gambling addicts, but in a plot twist worthy of a soap opera, it’s overseas gambling firms causing the headache. Meanwhile, banning social media for teens remains sacred. Priorities nailed.
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(1 of 3)Australia’s version of ‘protect the kids’ means banning social media but serving illegal gambling ads like it’s Happy Hour at a casino for teenagers.
Kids under 16 can’t be on social media but somehow can gladly throw away pocket money on gambling. Makes perfect sense, Australia.
Australia’s gambling ads must have a ‘force field’ making them illegal for adults but irresistible to underage gamblers.
Source: Theguardian | Published: 2/26/2026 | Author: Nick Visser
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