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Social media firms urge caution on early Australia under-16 ban data
🇸🇬 Singapore /Culture & Society

Social media firms urge caution on early Australia under-16 ban data

From CNA · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Social media platforms urged the Australian government not to overemphasize early data on underage use post-ban.
  • Lawmakers are considering tougher penalties and expanded powers for regulators investigating compliance with the under-16 ban.
  • Tech companies argued that age verification technologies are evolving and data may not accurately reflect account ownership versus usage.

Top social media platforms are urging the Australian government to exercise caution when interpreting early evidence suggesting most children continue to use their services despite a landmark ban on under-16s. The plea comes as lawmakers consider strengthening penalties and investigative powers for regulators overseeing the ban, which took effect in December.

It is a point in time, it's very early on, and we caution against over-reliance on that.

— Rachel LordYouTube's head of government relations, advising caution on early data regarding the under-16 social media ban.

Representatives from Google (YouTube), Meta (Facebook, Instagram), Snapchat, and TikTok faced a Senate inquiry. They were pressed on studies, including one from Australia's internet regulator, indicating around 80% of minors remained active on social media months after the ban. This highlights a persistent disagreement between legislators and tech giants regarding the ban's effectiveness.

the technologies that we are using to detect users at the 16 age boundary are evolving

— Rachel LordRachel Lord explaining the developmental stage of age verification technology.

YouTube's head of government relations, Rachel Lord, advised against over-reliance on the data, noting the most recent compliance figures were from March. She explained that age assurance technology, largely designed for an 18-year-old threshold, is still evolving to accurately detect users at the 16-year-old boundary. Meta's head of public policy, Mia Garlick, suggested that survey data might not reliably distinguish between users who have an account and those who merely access a platform.

There can be differences in terms of people accessing versus having an account.

— Mia GarlickMeta's Australia head of public policy, discussing potential discrepancies in survey data.

In response to the inquiry, Meta reported deactivating 756,000 Instagram and Facebook accounts suspected of belonging to underage users, an increase from March. Google stated it had prevented about 740,000 Google account holders from using YouTube. TikTok reported taking down 550,000 accounts when the law began and has since removed approximately 24,000 per month. The eSafety Commissioner is expected to testify later, as the inquiry examines potential amendments that could double maximum penalties to A$99 million and broaden the commissioner's authority.

Sometimes survey data is challenging in terms of stated versus revealed.

— Mia GarlickMia Garlick highlighting the difficulties in interpreting survey responses.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CNA. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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