Tik-tok and Meta banned
Tech giants Meta and TikTok announced on Tuesday that they will comply with Australia’s new ban on social media users under the age of 16. However, they cautioned that enforcing these groundbreaking laws might be a challenge. Starting December 10, Australia will require platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to remove any users who are younger than 16.
There’s a lot of curiosity about whether these extensive restrictions can actually be effective, especially as regulators worldwide grapple with the risks associated with social media.
Both TikTok and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, acknowledged that enforcing the ban would be quite challenging, but they both agreed to comply with it.
“Put simply, TikTok will comply with the law and meet our legislative obligations,” the firm’s Australia policy lead Ella Woods-Joyce told a Senate hearing on Tuesday.
On paper, the ban is one of the strictest in the world.
With just a little over a month to go before it takes effect, Australia is in a rush to clarify important details about enforcement and what companies are expected to do.
TikTok has cautioned that the “blunt” age restriction could lead to a host of unintended consequences.
“Experts believe a ban will push younger people into darker corners of the Internet where protections don’t exist,” said Woods-Joyce.
Meta’s policy director, Mia Garlick, mentioned that the company is still tackling “numerous challenges.” She informed the hearing that they aim to remove hundreds of thousands of users under 16 by the December 10 deadline. However, she acknowledged that pinpointing and eliminating those accounts presents “significant new engineering and age assurance challenges.”
“Our main goal is to comply with the law by ensuring that those under 16 are removed,” she stated.
Officials have previously indicated that social media platforms won’t be obligated to verify the ages of every user, but they must take “reasonable steps” to identify and deactivate underage accounts. Companies that disregard these laws could face hefty fines of up to Aus$49.5 million (US$32 million).
Tech firms have come together to voice their concerns about Australia’s ban, labeling it as “vague,” “problematic,” and “rushed.” YouTube, which is affected by the ban, commented this month that while Australia’s intentions are good, the execution leaves much to be desired.
“The legislation will not only be incredibly hard to enforce, but it also fails to deliver on its promise of making kids safer online,” said local spokeswoman Rachel Lord.
Recently, Australia’s online watchdog hinted that messaging service WhatsApp, streaming platform Twitch, and gaming site Roblox might also fall under the scope of this ban.
Tik-tok and Meta banned
