Latest news with #AprilWillis
SBS Australia
a day ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Australia's social media ban is approaching, but questions remain over whether it will work
April Willis says young people need a seat at the table for figuring out how to implement the teen social media ban. Source: SBS News / Ash Minchin Like many, April Willis has been using social media since her early teens. As she grew up on the platforms, she says she didn't immediately understand the impact it was having on her. She says that in hindsight, though, she can see that a lot of her "behaviours" and "the content and interactions" she had on social media platforms were "definitely not great" for her mental health. But the now 22-year-old ReachOut youth advocate says she doesn't think a ban would have stopped her. "I think the hard truth is that a lot of us are thinking, 'I would've found a way around it', as I'm sure many young people will." Whether she actually would have is one of the many questions experts are wondering six months out from the implementation of Australia's social media ban for those under the age of 16. And as of 11 December this year, social media companies will be required to take "reasonable steps" to prevent Australian children and teenagers under 16 from using their platforms. A government-commissioned trial into the potential technologies used to assess the ages of users presented their preliminary findings on Friday. Their key finding was that "age assurance can be done in Australia and can be private, robust and effective". "The preliminary findings indicate that there are no significant technological barriers preventing the deployment of effective age assurance systems in Australia," project director Tony Allen said in a statement. "These solutions are technically feasible, can be integrated flexibly into existing services, and can support the safety and rights of children online." With details about the accuracy of the technologies tested left for later release, experts are wary of the trial's initial claim. Daniel Angus is a professor of digital communication at the Queensland University of Technology and the director of its Digital Media Research Centre. "One of the key concerns that we have is how the industry often will inflate their accuracy and the utility of these approaches when we know that there are still significant issues when it comes to both gender and also racial biases, but also the general lack of efficacy of these approaches," he said. According to the Department of Communications, a government-commissioned report from the Social Research Centre found nearly nine in 10 adults were supportive of age assurance measures. Only two of those 10 had heard of at least one potential method to check a person's age online. 'This research shows Australians widely support our world-leading age restrictions on social media for under 16s and have strong expectations of platforms when it comes to data protection and security," Communications Minister Anika Wells said in a statement. Angus says the general public has not been adequately informed about the likely impacts of these technologies. "I think Australians are in for a very rude shock when this actually perhaps, gets implemented, and they all of a sudden are being forced to hand over [their] data to access services that they've freely been able to access up to this point," he said. "It's absolutely everything you would expect to find in the midst of a moral panic where people have been sucked along with this idea that, 'Yeah, this thing is really, really bad and we need to prevent it,' but have not stopped to think critically about this, and then not been properly informed about the fullness of that risk." John Pane, chair of digital rights organisation Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA), is a member of the stakeholder advisory board for the trial. He says the EFA has "concerns about the rollout of this technology because it's not simply about restricting access to social media platforms for children 15 and under". "It requires all adults who participate in the online environment, who wish to access social media platforms to either have their age authenticated or establish their identity as a means of, or part of that age authentication. "So from our perspective, it's the Trojan horse for getting people to get used to providing more and more credentials online." Amid these concerns, some remain supportive of the ban, including Kirra Pendergast, another member of the stakeholder advisory board. "Initially, I was only against the ban purely because of the technical workarounds that are possible for some kids who are more technical than others," she said. "But after having lots of conversations with parents in particular, it became abundantly clear that the ban was making parents have a conversation that we've needed to have for a very, very long time." Pendergast is the founder of Safe on Social, an online safety advisory group for schools and businesses, and chief digital safety strategist at the global Ctrl+Shft Coalition. "I get contacted almost every single day by parents that are struggling with this," the cybersecurity expert said. "They don't know how to say no." Pendergast said parents and educators would have "a lot more time to get it right". "It's like all aspects of technical security, cybersecurity, and cyber safety. It's never ever going to be 100 per cent. This is never going to be the silver bullet. "It's a really, really good start because, again, it sparked all of the conversations that we needed to have at every level of society." Professor Tama Leaver, an internet studies academic at Curtin University and the chief investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child, says the ban responds to a "very real fear that parents have that social media is an unknown space". "If this is world-leading, we need to be quite clear on what the legislation is actually doing." He warned that the implementation of the policy may not address all the issues that have been discussed. "Some harms, for example, such as cyberbullying, were very much touted as one of the big problems to be solved," he said. "There is nothing in this legislation that addresses cyberbullying meaningfully at all. "This at best addresses algorithmic amplification … of young people's experiences of social media, but … we expect from what's been said already that most messaging apps are exempt from this legislation. "So, the spaces where we imagine cyberbullying is most likely to happen are not being touched by this legislation at all." Leaver was a signatory on an open letter from more than 140 academics and civil society organisations against the ban. "If the rest of the world is watching Australia and hoping that this might be a blueprint, we're going to have an awful lot of work to do in the next few months to actually have a blueprint to practically do this rather than simply aspire to giving parents some reassurance," he said.
Time Business News
24-04-2025
- Business
- Time Business News
An Exclusive Interview: The Vision of Dr. April Willis for Business and Nonprofit Success
Founder of April Willis Consulting, LLC, April Willis has created a business that is more than that; it is a movement. With her passion for enabling others to live their best life, April combines years of education, nonprofit leadership, and business strategy expertise in every endeavor she undertakes. Her North Texas-based firm works with clients across the country, providing personalized consulting, professional coaching, and energetic speaking services. April recently introduced the National Nonprofit Collaborative, a revolutionary subscription site that equips nonprofit leaders with the tools, templates, and resources they require to succeed. April's mission is straightforward: assist you in going farther, faster. In this interview, she explores her path, her philosophy, and how she's making waves of empowerment throughout the nation. We meet people where they are. We started in this business ten years ago writing resumes at the name-your-price approach so that every person would be able to look like a work of art on paper, regardless of their economic position. We have continued that approach all of these years and still offer a name-your-price approach for resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn optimization. We also started the National Nonprofit Collaborative as a way to provide consulting supports to nonprofits that couldn't afford a consultant. We have premier services for those who can afford it, and we offer services at prices for those who need a little extra support during challenging times. I think this really sets us apart and allows us to build powerful relationships with our clients. 2. Your extensive experience spans education, small businesses, and nonprofits, guiding organizations toward sustainable growth. How do you balance the diverse needs of these sectors when developing tailored strategies, and what common challenges do you find across them that your consulting approach addresses? I balance sector needs by focusing on core strengths like clear messaging, systems thinking, and capacity building. Across education, small businesses, and nonprofits, common challenges include limited capacity and disconnected efforts. I also work a lot with people who have really big hearts and want to change the world, but lack the business acumen to do so well and for a long period of time. We allow leaders to do what they do best- solve community challenges– while we work behind the scenes to ensure they have a strong foundation upon which to build their business and then scale it. Absolutely. One example is how the National Nonprofit Collaborative (NNC) helped a grassroots mental health nonprofit streamline their grant reporting and donor communications. They were spending hours each month juggling spreadsheets and piecing together impact stories. Through NNC, they accessed a shared reporting template, automated email workflows, and storytelling prompts aligned with funder priorities. As a result, they not only saved time but also saw a 40% increase in donor retention and secured two new grants within six months. This reflects NNC's core vision: when nonprofits spend less time on admin and more on impact, they thrive—and so do the communities they serve. Our goal is to shift the sector from burnout to collaboration, from silos to shared success. I integrate my academic background by translating theory into tools that work in the real world. Research helps me understand systems, change management, and behavior—but I always ground that in practical application. For example, I might use a theory of change framework to guide a strategic plan, but I'll pair it with simple action steps, clear metrics, and team training. It's about making complex ideas accessible and actionable. My goal is to help organizations not just hit short-term targets, but build systems, skills, and culture that support long-term resilience—so they're not just surviving, but growing with intention. A bold vision I have is to get the National Nonprofit Collaborative into the hands of 70% of the nation's nonprofits. We're doing this through a B2B strategy that engages large companies as sponsors, funding annual memberships for nonprofits in the communities they serve. It's a win-win: companies deepen their community impact, and nonprofits gain access to the tools, support, and collaboration they need to thrive. This vision is about scale, sustainability, and building a stronger nonprofit ecosystem—together. April's work is centered on impact. From her hands-on consulting practice to the continually expanding National Nonprofit Collaborative, April transforms the way people and organizations find success. Her skill at combining strategic intelligence with empathic leadership makes her a go-to voice in an increasingly changing domain. She is more than an advisor; she is a connector, navigator, and champion for those who strive to grow and serve. April's commitment to providing others with usable, quality resources speaks of a clear understanding of the challenges and opportunities between the nonprofit and entrepreneurial sectors. With leaders like April, the future appears to be collaborative, innovative, and decidedly bright. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
