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Matt Giuca

@mgiuca.bsky.social
76 followers 61 following 214 posts

Solo game developer, former Web Apps eng at Google, former editor of Web Apps Manifest spec. mgiuca.itch.io mastodon.social/@mgiuca

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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Ah yes classically when someone admits to a crime, it exonerates them of that crime. And we can't prosecute criminals because we would then be locked out of getting ourselves into a dependency on their products. Source: www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09...
OpenAI's confession to its 'credit', says Coalition

Deputy Liberal leader Jane Hume told ABC's Insiders program that the government should not try to chase down OpenAI over its voluntary disclosure.

"AI is inevitably going to be part of Australia's future, we want to make sure we are part of the conversation, but certainly the way to go about that is not to threaten criminal action against US counterparts and those trusted partners that we are relying on," Senator Hume said.

"This time, we could only have found out about it because OpenAI fessed up and said that something went wrong."
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne... If you're running an agent and it commits a felony, you should go to jail. Can't guarantee that a script under your control won't commit a felony? Stop running it. Oh you're the CEO of a multibillion dollar company? Sorry, carry on then.
theguardian.com
Albanese says OpenAI hacked Medicare and told Australia months later via email to generic inbox
Prime minister says he told Sam Altman he was disappointed it had taken OpenAI ‘way too long’ to disclose breach
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Greg Jericho @grogsgamut.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Concern? How about arrest the f*cker?? Cripes. If you or I hacked Medicare, the AFP would bash down our doors. AI does it? Oopsies! I am concerned! www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
theguardian.com
Anthony Albanese says OpenAI agent hacked Medicare and he expressed ‘extreme concern’ to Sam Altman
Prime minister says he told chief executive he was disappointed it had taken company ‘way too long’ to inform government of breach
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
It's come to my attention that Celestial Golf erroneously assumed hitting the ball could simply add velocity vectors. This gross simplification has been rectified for future builds. Hitting the ball now has diminishing returns as velocity approaches the speed of light. #gamedev #space #relativity
Code in GDScript, showing the function relativistic_velocity_addition, which adds two velocities u and v, taking into account the speed of light c.
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I've just discovered the incredible flame war on the Wikipedia talk page for #Sega Genesis where a neverending battle is fought about whether to call it Mega Drive (the name it was sold as everywhere in the world except NA) or Genesis. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Se...
en.wikipedia.org
Talk:Sega Genesis - Wikipedia
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Indie Game Demos @indiegamedemos.com · 22/08/2026
Celestial Golf | Official Trailer Try the demo 👉 store.steampowered.com/app/4532530/... Wishlist on Steam 👉 store.steampowered.com/app/3965730/... #gamedev #indiedev #indiegamedev
youtu.be
Celestial Golf | Official Trailer
YouTube video by Indie Game Demos
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
New Celestial Golf trailer, exclusive on @indiegamedemos.com youtu.be/kSuRlYVLkg0 Wishlist and play demo on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/3965730/... #IndieGames #SteamDemos #IndieTrailer
youtu.be
Celestial Golf | Official Trailer
YouTube video by Indie Game Demos
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
I just dropped a big update to the Celestial Golf demo ⛳🌠. It adds a bunch of story beats including 2 brand new cutscenes (sneak preview below!). Full patch notes: store.steampowered.com/news/app/396... Wishlist and play the demo: store.steampowered.com/app/3965730/... #gamedev #indie #space
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Chris Kerr @kerrblimey.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
NEW: I spoke with multiple video game developers and a U.S. employment lawyer to learn more about restrictive side clauses that often prevent employees at major companies from pursuing hobbyist work or personal projects. In an industry renowned for creativity, why are we stifling it?
gamedeveloper.com
Developers discuss the pain and prevalence of side work clauses
How an industry renowned for creativity is actively stifling it.
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
The design of Power Down mgiuca.itch.io/power-down/d... A devlog on the design of my GMTK Game Jam 2026 submission. #gamejam #gamedev #gmtkgamejam
mgiuca.itch.io
The design of Power Down
For this year's GMTK Game Jam, I wanted to focus on improving my writing and art (in previous years I had basically no story, and used art from various online sources). But I also couldn't stop thinki...
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Just finished #GMTKGameJam for 2026 with a Sokoban-style puzzle game with a pretty rocking 2D/3D art style. This year I wanted to focus on art and writing. Check it out: mgiuca.itch.io/power-down #gamedev
mgiuca.itch.io
Power Down by Matt Giuca
Push blocks around, but watch out as their energy is counting down, in this short narrative puzzle game
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
We need more voices questioning the assumption that governments around the world are making that social media (which really means all online use) is a net negative for children. www.theguardian.com/society/2026... Blindly banning a whole class of tech without any real research is a travesty.
theguardian.com
The social media ban sceptic: are we getting it wrong on kids, tech and mental health?
Psychologist Candice Odgers has studied adolescent mental health for 25 years. She fears the current debate around smartphones obscures some of the biggest issues facing teenagers – from the impact of...
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Celestial Golf demo updated with a new challenge: each level has 3 "pars" for optimizing different resources (strokes, time, power). Figuring out how to optimize for each is a little puzzle each time! store.steampowered.com/news/app/396... #GameDev #IndieDev #Space
store.steampowered.com
Celestial Golf on Steam
It’s 2D golf on an astronomical scale. Bite-sized missions will teach you the techniques of real space flight, without having to worry about fuel or crew. Precisely plan orbital trajectories over the ...
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Sweet, #Godot 4.7 is out. I just published a little addon to the new Asset Store, "git status", which lets you display your build's git hash somewhere in your exported game. Super useful for making sure you know what build you're playing. store.godotengine.org/asset/mgiuca... #gamedev
store.godotengine.org
Git Status - Godot Asset Store
Gets information about the project's git repo (the git hash) at runtime.
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Hey #PitchYaGame, check out Celestial Golf! It's golf, on an astronomical scale. If you want to learn realistic space flight without the complexity of other space sims, this is for you. Just your ball and the cosmos. Wishlist now: store.steampowered.com/app/3965730/... #gamedev #indie #space
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Mr #PitchYaGame @liamtwose.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
"Hello World", #PitchYaGame is LIVE! Wherever you are across the Globe / Universe.. It's Time. Once Again.. to show the world your video games! 😀📣 I repeat. PYG is LIVE! Happy pitching.
Token space backdrop with sun breaching a planets horizon. Text reads #PitchYaGame IS LIVE, GET PITCHING!

With the mascot PYG in the bottom right corner with closed eyes, waving.
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Reposted by Matt Giuca
Sasha Mutch @sashamutch.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Wyrmspace is part of the Cerebral Puzzle Showcase! @puzzleshowcase.bsky.social have curated an incredible set of thinky games that we're proud to be beside! Like thinky tactics, deckbuilding with memory cards, and traumatised space pirates? Give Wyrmspace Tactic a wishlist: #indiegame #thinkygame
store.steampowered.com
Wyrmspace Tactics on Steam
Join a crew of traumatised space pirates in this tile tactics card game as you commit faster-than-light heists! Push your luck and play your cards right to break in and out of freighter ships with the...
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Just made brand new Steam capsule artwork for Celestial Golf and it's looking pretty fine alongside other games. Here's a little behind-the-scenes of how it's constructed in #Blender. Props to my brother David who designed the alien. #GameDev #Indie store.steampowered.com/app/3965730/... Wishlist!
Steam capsule art for "Celestial Golf". In space, a large Earth is at the bottom. The moon has a red golf flag on it. A blue trajectory line shows the ball being hit from the moon out into space, forming the 'O' in the title. A blue alien in a space suit watches from the side, excitedly.Blender workspace editing the space scene, all in grey. Spheres for Earth, Moon and some planets are shown, alongside a large tube extruding from the moon showing the ball's trajectory line.Blender workspace showing the alien in the editor.
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Wow, banning apps based on harmful features (encouraging apps to remove said features) rather than what "category" they are in. Shockingly responsible policy making. I wish Australia was so lucky. #socialmediaban www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Limit social media ban for under-16s to unsafe apps, Starmer urged
Campaigners warn against blanket restrictions and say focus should be on blocking teenagers from platforms with ‘risky’ features
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
I finally got around to adding full controller support to my game Celestial Golf. Quite a challenge to find a way to set orbital maneuvers with thumbsticks. I've left three different aiming methods in the settings. Which do you prefer? #indie #gamedev #space store.steampowered.com/news/app/396...
store.steampowered.com
Celestial Golf - The Controller Update - Steam News
Celestial Golf was updated with full controller support, manual camera panning, and a load of other quality-of-life changes
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne... I fully believe that preventing kids from accessing news online (and driving them back to old media) was one of the primary goals. That it didn't work is unsurprising. Stop calling it an "unintended consequence". It was never about helping kids. #socialmediaban
theguardian.com
Australia’s social media ban preventing teenagers from accessing the news, research finds
Half of the teenagers who have been blocked say they are seeing less news than before – but they are not necessarily going back to traditional sources
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
My upcoming #Godot game Celestial Golf was featured in a technical blog: jettelly.com/blog/a-godot... A glimpse into how I made trajectories predicting the motion of the ball, taking the rotation of planets into account. Wishlist on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/3965730/ #indie #gamedev #space
jettelly.com
A Godot-made Golf Game With Real Orbital Mechanics
Celestial Golf’s developer Matt gave us a look at how the game simulates stable orbital mechanics in Godot using patched conics, rotating reference frames, and more.
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
I just pushed an update to the Celestial Golf Demo featuring some new character art by my brother David. It's so cool to see it all come together. We now have a cute little animated alien companion! #gamedev #indie #space store.steampowered.com/app/4532530/...
Screenshot: The player is about to hit a golf ball on the surface of the moon. A dialogue box showing a blue alien in a space suit says "Do you think you can hit the ball... half way around the moon?"Close-up of the blue alien in a space suit. It has one eyeball and a goofy grin.
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Freya Holmér @freya.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
sometimes I wonder if my resistance against AI is actually a rationally justified position or if I'm just somewhere along the stages of grief, refusing to accept that I'm losing something I really valued
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Reposted by Matt Giuca
Liam Flannery @liamflannery.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
we added a legally distinct clippy to our windows 95 themed automation game about making powerpoint decks - his name is pinny #gamedev
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
I only had one day for #LudumDare #gamejam this time. When I finished up (at 4am 🫩) I realized I satisfied all the requirements for the Compo (aka. "hard mode") so I submitted to that and went to bed. ldjam.com/events/ludum... Quite happy with my minimalistic signal decoding puzzle game. #gamedev
ldjam.com
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
I've said it before but it bears repeating: the proliferation of these age verification laws popping up everywhere is absolutely toxic to open computing. It basically assumes that every operating system is centralized, corporate controlled, and requires accounts. www.pcgamer.com/gaming-indus...
pcgamer.com
US may force operating systems to have mandatory age verification, share info with third parties
Here lies darkness.
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
I'm overjoyed to have finally released the public demo of Celestial Golf on Steam (along with a shiny new trailer). You could be playing it now! store.steampowered.com/app/4532530/... Worked really hard over the past month on polishing. Thanks to all the playtest feedback! #gamedev #indie #space
store.steampowered.com
Celestial Golf Demo on Steam
Hit your ball on orbital trajectories around a realistically sized solar system. Discover the secrets hidden in the planets and moons, learn orbital mechanics, and boldly go where no golf ball has gon...
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
You know, pre-announcing WWIII only to cancel it right at the last moment might seem like a dick move. But it's also a fantastic way to manipulate the stock market exactly the way you want.
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aka Luis. @stockybear.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
Support the Guardian for its open and free press, known for its independent, liberal, and investigative journalism, which is funded primarily by reader contributions and advertising rather than a billionaire. Here's the article in full: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
‘Unhinged madman’: US politicians react to Trump’s expletive-laden threat to Iran
Marjorie Taylor Greene and Bernie Sanders among those responding with alarm to Trump writing ‘open the fuckin’ strait, you crazy bastards’
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
I just updated my space golf game with a completely new streamlined UI and wow, it feels like a different game. I can feel things starting to finally come together. store.steampowered.com/news/app/424... #indiedev #gamedev #godot #space You can playtest it now at the above link, proper demo soon.
store.steampowered.com
Celestial Golf Playtest - The UI Update - Steam News
Today's update brings a complete overhaul of the game's main UI, and a new "target mode" to help with long-distance planning.UI refresh The old UI was basically a big list of lots of values, with no p...
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
I tried recreating #Artemis II in Celestial Golf. It was ... harder than I thought to line up a lunar flyby that goes back to Earth without intervention. Not quite accurate but it gets the idea across. #space #indie #gamedev youtu.be/6u0LvcZO7PE
youtu.be
Artemis II mission in Celestial Golf
YouTube video by Jukebox Interactive
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
My #Godot workflow improved so much after I discovered and turned off "Drop Preload Resources as UID". Turning this off means dropping a resource in code makes it a good old-fashioned file path rather than an indecipherable UID. 🧵 1/7
"Files: Drop Preload Resources as UID" checkbox, turned off. An arrow icon indicates "revert to default", implying that the setting is on by default.
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
I'm fixing the tutorial system in Celestial Golf. Dedicated systems for specific purposes. #godot #gamedev #indiegame You can playtest the new build of the game on Steam now: store.steampowered.com/app/3965730/... (and wishlist to be notified when the game launches).
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
This is why I have such anxiety about sharing things I make that I care about online. (And already did before vibe coding was a thing but this is on another level.)
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Seeing so many DLSS5 posts... I'm assuming some of them are fake. It's so hard to tell what's an AI-generated screenshot and what's a real screenshot of an AI-generated game. 🤦
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Just pushed out a big overhaul of the tutorial system for the Celestial Golf demo. (Accepting feedback on the first few levels before I proceed with updating the rest of the game.) store.steampowered.com/news/app/424... store.steampowered.com/app/3965730/... to play now! #gamedev #indie
store.steampowered.com
Celestial Golf Playtest - The Tutorial Update - Steam News
This update completely overhauls the tutorial and dialogue system, replacing the old side-panel of text
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
New devlog for Celestial Golf: importing the beautifully rendered terrains for Mars into #Godot. #gamedev #indie Full video here: youtu.be/er34GrUiXcM Wishlist the game on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/3965730/...
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Reposted by Matt Giuca
Jordan Mechner @jmechner.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Just posted "On Gameplay Storytelling", my contribution to @jon.inkle.co's cool new anthology "The Game Narrative Kaleidoscope", on my website: jordanmechner.com/en/latest-ne... The thing about writing for games is to remember that the story exists to serve the game design, not...
jordanmechner.com
Jordan Mechner - Latest News
Blog posts and articles by author and game developer Jordan Mechner
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
First devlog on Celestial Golf in awhile: youtu.be/kRpy2RYJdr8 Did some playtesting. Got a bit sad from the feedback, which helped make the YTthumbnail. But I've triaged the issues and have a plan. #gamedev #indie #space (Also took 3 weeks off to prototype a new game, but that's another story.)
youtu.be
I need to fix my space golf game's UI
YouTube video by Jukebox Interactive
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
I don't know if this is a good idea or not but I started a new YouTube channel for #indie #gamedev. www.youtube.com/channel/UCkB... If you follow me for development on Celestial Golf, please consider subscribing to the new channel. ....
youtube.com
Jukebox Interactive
Jukebox is a one-person game studio run by Matt Giuca, located in Sydney, Australia. Currently working on Celestial Golf, a golf game about realistic orbital mechanics in space. Check "Playlists" for...
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
This, so much. Follow who is behind these laws because they sure as hell aren't actually protecting children. #socialmediaban www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
The world wants to ban children from social media, but there will be grave consequences for us all | Taylor Lorenz
Age-verification systems require collecting sensitive data to support the biometric information. In no time, the internet will become a fully surveilled digital panopticon, says technology journalist ...
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
Age verification laws are nuts. Massive blow to privacy and open source. Laws like this assume that all tech is made by a few giant corps with big legal teams. It's often impossible for open source to comply because they respect users privacy by design. www.tomshardware.com/software/ope...
tomshardware.com
California introduces age verification law for all operating systems, including Linux and SteamOS — user age verified during OS account setup
AB 1043 also requires OS providers to pipe a real-time age checker to every app developer who requests it.
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
It's so rare these days to go to Wikipedia and find an article entirely lacking in historical context, so you have to find clippings of 19th century newspapers to track down the source. With that, I present the brand new History section of: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forsyth... You're welcome, Internet.
en.wikipedia.org
Forsyth–Edwards Notation - Wikipedia
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
Just unregistered Celestial Golf from the Feb Steam Next Fest. Feedback suggested it isn't ready for a wider audience and I haven't had time in Dec/Jan to work on it. Doesn't feel great but June is around the corner! #gamedev #indie You can still test it here: store.steampowered.com/app/3965730/...
store.steampowered.com
Celestial Golf on Steam
Hit your ball on orbital trajectories around a realistically sized solar system. Discover the secrets hidden in the planets and moons, learn orbital mechanics, and boldly go where no golf ball has gon...
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Aus eSafety actively sabotaged the inclusion of child protection features in Snapchat www.afr.com/technology/s... Better to disallow kid accounts and force kids to make adult accounts than let the service provide a safe child experience. Great job! 👍 #SocialMediaBan
afr.com
Snapchat offered to lock kids out of features. Government said no
The number of local teenage accounts closed by Snapchat has been disclosed after it tried to dodge Australia’s social media ban by offering major app changes.
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Sorry but just because something terrible happened to your kid does not mean you should rush through legislation that may or may not have helped and might be very harmful. The "evidence" always mentioned is always cherry-picked by people with an agenda. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
UK must ‘move now’ to ban social media for under-16s, says Brianna Ghey’s mother
Esther Ghey has previously said she believes her daughter’s social media addiction made her more vulnerable
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
9 (yes that's the name of the game) is such a wild thing to exist. I feel blessed to have been gifted it at launch in 1996, probably too young, but it's both good-bizarre and a surprisingly well designed puzzle game.
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
It's too late for Australia but please, rest of the world, don't rush into this. Understand that all the "positive" outcomes of our social media ban are pushed by old media institutions that profit from locking kids out of online spaces. #socialmediaban theconversation.com/i-research-t...
If harms are socially rooted, then technical restrictions alone are unlikely to solve them. A ban treats social media as the problem, rather than asking deeper questions about why certain behaviours – harassment, shaming, misogyny, exploitation – occur in the first place.
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Matt Giuca @mgiuca.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Shock finding: things which are harmful when used excessively can be beneficial in moderation, and maybe the government shouldn't implement total bans of things they don't understand. #auspol #socialmediaban www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
abc.net.au
Heavy social media use and avoidance both linked to poorer wellbeing in teens
The findings of a newly released study have challenged one-size-fits-all rules and blanket bans, as the Australian government's social media ban for children under 16 has been in effect for over a mon...
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