Google says Australia’s under-16 social media ban ‘extremely difficult’ to enforce, won’t make…
Google has said that it will be “extremely difficult” for Australia to enforce a law prohibiting people younger than 16 from using social media, warning that the government’s initiative will not make children safer online. Australia became the first country to prohibit under-16s from using social media in December, giving platforms until December 10 to deactivate underage accounts without requiring age verification.
Australia’s approach to age restrictions
Under the Australian law, social media platforms will not be required to conduct age verification procedures. Instead, they will be asked to use artificial intelligence (AI) and behavioural data to reliably infer age, news agency Reuters reported.Australia, concerned about the impact of social media on the mental health of young people, passed its Online Safety Amendment in November 2024. The legislation gave companies a year to comply, and they face a December 10 deadline to deactivate the accounts of underage users.
Google warns of ‘unintended consequences’
In a parliamentary hearing on online safety rules on Monday (October 13), YouTube’s senior manager of government affairs in Australia, Rachel Lord, said the government’s program was well-intentioned but could have “unintended consequences.”“The legislation will not only be extremely difficult to enforce, it also does not fulfil its promise of making kids safer online,” Lord was quoted as saying.Lord argued that alternative approaches would be more effective.“Well-crafted legislation can be an effective tool to build on industry efforts to keep children safer online. But the solution to keeping kids safer online is not stopping them from being online,” she added.Instead, she said online safety tools must be used to protect children and parents should be given the controls to guide their online experiences.This comes months after Australia in July added YouTube to a list of sites covered by the legislation, reversing an earlier decision to exempt it due to its popularity with teachers. The reversal followed complaints from other tech firms.Google contends that YouTube is a video-sharing site, not a social media platform.
