Social media ban
\nGovernment moves to block social media for under-16 from December
\n melbourne
\nAustralia urged social media platforms on Tuesday to employ \u201cminimally invasive\u201d methods to check the age of users covered by its world-first teen social media ban, which takes into account artificial intelligence (AI) and behavioural data.
\nGovernments and tech firms worldwide are closely watching Australia\u2019s effort to become the first country to block the use of social media by those younger than 16, starting from December.
\n\u201ceSafety recommends the most minimally invasive techniques available,\u201d the internet watchdog said in its guidance for firms to comply with the law passed in November.
\nSocial media platforms are not required to conduct blanket age-verification as firms can use existing data to infer age reliably, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said. \u201cWe know that they have the targeting technology to do this,\u201d she told a media briefing. \u201cThey can target us with deadly precision when it comes to advertising, certainly, they can do this around the age of a child.\u201d She added, \u201cAdults should not see huge changes … it would be unreasonable if platforms re-verify everyone\u2019s age.\u201d
\nIn July, Grant widened the ban to Alphabet-owned YouTube, following complaints by Meta\u2019s Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok about an earlier decision to exempt the video-sharing site popular with teachers.
\nGoogle and Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
\nIn February, eSafety said 95% of teenagers aged 13 to 15 reported using at least one social media platform since January 2024, but warned that the actual numbers could be much higher.
\nFederal Communications Minister Anika Wells urged \u201creasonable steps\u201d by social media companies to detect and deactivate underage accounts, to prevent re-registration and provide an accessible complaints process for their users.
\n\u201cWe cannot control the ocean, but we can police the sharks and today we are making clear to the rest of the world how we intend to do this,\u201d Wells told reporters.
\nThere was no excuse for non-compliance, she added, as the platforms could do so, ranking among the world\u2019s biggest and best-resourced companies.
\nAmid concern about the impact on young people\u2019s mental health, Australia\u2019s ban was passed into law in November 2024, with companies given a year to adopt it, while facing a December 10 deadline to deactivate the accounts of underage users.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Social media ban Government moves to block social media for under-16 from December melbourne Australia urged social media platforms on Tuesday to employ \u201cminimally invasive\u201d methods to check the age of users covered by its world-first teen social media ban, which takes into account artificial intelligence (AI) and behavioural data. Governments and tech firms worldwide […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":503282,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-503253","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n